Description

Jellyfish stings are quite common problems for people swimming, wading or diving in the seas and oceans. The long tentacles trailing from the jellyfish can inject venom from thousands of microscopic barbed stingers.

More often jellyfish stings cause immediate pain and inflammation of the marks on the skin. Some stings may cause more whole-body (systemic) illness. And, in rare cases are fatal.

Most jellyfish stings get better in a few days or weeks with home treatment. Severe reactions likely to need emergency medical attention.

Symptoms

The symptoms of jellyfish stings are:

  • Burning, itching, stinging pain
  • Hives, or tracks in the skin — an "impression" of the tentacles of contact with the skin
  • Itching (pruritus)
  • Swelling
  • Throbbing pain that radiates a leg or an arm

Severe jellyfish stings can affect multiple systems of the body. These reactions may appear quickly or several hours after the bite. Severe symptoms of jellyfish stings are:

  • Stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting
  • Headache
  • Muscle pain or twitching
  • Fainting, dizziness, or confusion
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Heart problems

The severity of a reaction depends on:

  • The type and the size of the jellyfish
  • The age, size and health of the person affected, with severe reactions are more likely in children
  • How long the person was exposed to the stings.
  • How much of the skin is affected

When to see a doctor

Seek emergency treatment if you have severe symptoms.

Consult your health care provider if symptoms worsen or the wound shows signs of infection.

Causes

Jellyfish stings are caused by brushing up against a jellyfish tentacle. The tentacles have thousands of microscopic barbed stingers. Every stinger has a small light bulb that has poison and a spiral, sharp tip of the tube.

When you rub of a tentacle, small fires on its surface release of the goads. The tube penetrates the skin and releases poison. Affects the area of contact and may enter the bloodstream.

The jellyfish that have washed up on a beach may still release poisonous stingers if touched.

Types of jellyfish

Many types of jellyfish are quite harmless to humans. Others can cause severe pain and a whole-body (systemic) reaction. These jellyfish cause more serious problems in people:

  • Box jellyfish. Box jellyfish can cause intense pain and, rarely, life-threatening reactions. The most dangerous species of box jellyfish in the warm waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
  • The Portuguese man-of-war. Also called bluebottle jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish live mainly in warmer seas. This guy has a blue or purple, gas-filled bubble that keeps it afloat.
  • Sea nettle. Common in the warm and cold waters of the sea.
  • The jellyfish lion's mane. These are the world's largest jellyfish, with a body diameter of more than 3 feet (1 meter). They are more common in the cooler, northern regions of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Risk factors

Conditions that increase the risk of jellyfish stings:

  • Swimming when jellyfish appear in large numbers (a jellyfish bloom)
  • Swimming or snorkeling in jellyfish areas without protective clothing
  • Play or take the sun, where the jellyfish are stranded on the beach
  • Swimming in a place known for having many jellyfish

Complications

The possible complications of the sting of a jellyfish, which include:

  • Retardation of the reaction of the skin, causing blisters, rash, or irritation
  • The syndrome of Irukandji, which causes the chest and stomach pain, high blood pressure and heart problems

Prevention

The following tips can help you avoid jellyfish stings:

  • Use a protective suit. When swimming or diving in areas where jellyfish stings are possible, wear a wetsuit or other protective clothing. Diving stores sell protective "skin suits" or "stinger suits" made of fine, high-tech fabric. Consider the possibility of protective footwear, such as insect bites can also occur while wading in the shallow water.
  • To obtain information about the conditions. Talk to the lifeguards, to the local residents or officials with a local health department prior to swimming or diving in the coastal waters, especially in areas where the jellyfish are common.
  • Avoid the water during the jellyfish season. Stay out of the water in the jellyfish areas when the jellyfish numbers are high.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of jellyfish stings usually do not require a visit to a health care provider. If you, your doctor will likely be able to diagnose the injury by looking at it.

Your health care provider may collect samples of the pricks, to help guide treatment.

Treatment

Treatment for jellyfish stings includes first aid and medical treatment.

First aid

Most jellyfish stings can be treated in the following way:

  • Carefully pluck visible tentacles with a fine tweezers.
  • Soak the skin in hot water. The use of water from 110 to 113 ° F (43 to 45 ° C). It should feel hot, not boiling. Keep the affected skin submerged or in a shower of hot water until the pain is relieved, which could be from 20 to 45 minutes.
  • Apply the 0.5% to 1% hydrocortisone cream or ointment twice daily to the affected skin.

Measures to prevent

These actions are useless or not tested:

  • The scraping of the jellyfish
  • Rinse with human urine
  • Rinse with cold water and fresh water
  • The application of meat tenderizer
  • Apply alcohol, ethanol or ammonia
  • Rub with a towel
  • The application of the pressure of the bandages

Medical treatment

  • The emergency care. Anyone who is having a severe allergic reaction to a sting of jellyfish may need cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), life support or, if the sting is from a box jellyfish, antivenom medication.
  • Oral Medicine. A delay in the eruption or other type of reaction of the skin can be treated with oral antihistamines or corticosteroids. You can also take oral medication for the pain.
  • Rinse the eyes. Stung by a jellyfish in or near the eyes in general, requires immediate medical attention to control the pain and wash the eyes.
Symptoms and treatment of Jellyfish stings