- He suffered multiple organ failure six days after being stung by a giant bee
- W.Asp or bee stings can kill up to 10 Britons and 60 Americans each year.
It’s a warning that everyone who fears bees will fear: one sting could really kill you.
A 50-year-old man in Somalia narrowly escaped death after being stung, doctors have revealed.
He suffered multiple organ failure almost a week after being stung by a giant bee.
Sharing her case in an academic journal as a warning, doctors said such incidents can also lead to strokes or even heart attacks.
Wasp or bee stings kill up to 10 Britons and 60 Americans each year, but the risks are little known.
A 50-year-old man in Somalia narrowly escaped death after being stung, doctors have revealed. He suffered multiple organ failure almost a week after being stung by a giant bee. Sharing his case in an academic journal as a warning, doctors said such stings can also lead to strokes or even heart attacks.
Deaths usually occur as a result of an allergic reaction to the venom, resulting in anaphylaxis, a complication that can kill within minutes.
The estimated lethal dose for humans from stings alone is between 500 and 1,500 stings. But anaphylactic reactions are not dose dependent.
“The venom released by bee stings can range between 50 and 140 µg per sting, which is a dose large enough to cause systemic damage,” said the team from Mogadishu Somali Turkey Research and Training Hospital.
The unidentified man, from a rural area, waited six days before going to hospital complaining of breathing difficulties and not being able to urinate properly.
Doctors noticed he had “multiple” red marks all over his body.
Doctors also found that his pulse, blood pressure and blood sugar levels were higher than normal and that his body temperature was slightly below average.
Wasp or bee stings kill up to 10 Britons and 60 Americans each year, but the risks are little known. Deaths usually occur as a result of an allergic reaction to the venom, resulting in anaphylaxis, a complication that can kill within minutes.
Blood tests indicated kidney and liver damage, as well as pancreatitis.
An ECG, a test that records the heart’s electrical activity, also found he was suffering from a faster-than-usual heart rate.
Doctors believed he had suffered an allergic reaction and started him on a “full” regimen of steroids, antihistamines and intravenous fluids for hydration.
He also underwent five rounds of hemodialysis, a machine that filters waste, salts and fluids from the blood.
The patient was discharged after seven days. Follow-up appointments showed that he was “continuing to do well.”
writing in the International Journal of Medical Case ReportsDoctors said: “Bee stings are common in Africa, but there is a paucity of medical literature that focuses specifically on bee stings and their association with multiple organ failures.”
