Bee Venom Allergy Podcast
From the Show: SolutionHealth
Summary:
Air Date: 3/12/21
Duration: 10 Minutes
Dr. Amit Kumar discusses bee venom allergies, the risks, and tips on how to prevent stings.
Transcription:
Caitlin Whyte (Host): For most of us, getting stung by a bee hurts, but it's a rather small inconvenience. But for some, it could cause a pretty serious reaction, even be life-threatening. So, with spring just around the corner, today, we are talking about bee venom allergies with Dr. Amit Kumar an Allergy Physician with Solution Health. This is the Solution Health podcast from Solution Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. So, Dr. Kumar to open up here, what is a bee venom allergy?
Amit Kumar, MD (Guest): Sure. So, a bee venom allergy is when you get stung by a stinging insect and there's five common stinging insects in the US. There's honeybees, wasps, yellow jackets, white face hornets and yellow face hornets and people who are allergic when they get stung, they can have quite a reaction. For example, some patients will get lip swelling or throat swelling or tongue swelling. Some patients will get wheezing and they can't breathe. Some patients will feel lightheaded or dizzy or feel like they're going to pass out. The person basically has a full blown systemic reaction when they're stung by a bee, which can be at times life-threatening.
Host: And that leads me into my next question. Tell us more, give us some more details about the reactions people can get.
Dr. Kumar: Yeah, so people sometimes think that if they've just been stung, they're at risk for future allergy the next time. And that's not always the case. A lot of times, it depends on the nature of the reaction that you have the first time. So, for example, if somebody gets stung and they just get a large local lump where they got swollen, well that actually doesn't put you at a risk for future anaphylaxis. Those patients only have about a 10% risk of future systemic allergic reaction. Versus if somebody just got hives all over their body after they had been stung, even that doesn't necessarily always put you at a higher risk for systemic allergic reaction. The persons we worry the most about are the people who say I've been stung and I had lips swelling, throat swelling, tongue swelling, wheezing, all those systemic features. Then those patients are very high risk for future anaphylaxis. In some studies, for example, adults are about 60% risk of having future anaphylaxis and in children about 40% risk if they've been, if they get stung again in the next few years,
Host: So, when it comes to bee allergies and an EpiPen, who should be carrying one? Is it anyone who's gotten a bee sting before?
Dr. Kumar: No. So, a lot of times then when we think about who needs the EpiPen the most, it's those patients, who've had a history of anaphylaxis because they're very prone to having that reaction again in the future. So, typically those are the patients when they come and see me, those are the ones who typically leave with an EpiPen prescription. Patients who have had local reactions or just mild hives after sting don't necessarily need to keep an EpiPen because they're not necessarily at risk in the future.
Host: Now, what about if your parents have a bee allergy, does that put you at a higher risk?
Dr. Kumar: Well, that's a great question. We get asked that a lot. A lot of times parents will say, I have an allergy, now I'm worried my child will have an allergy. And the truth of the matter is actually a bee venom allergy doesn't necessarily need to be hereditary, much of the time. In fact, in the studies, they show that there's not always a hereditary element there. So, I oftentimes tell parents just because you have the allergy, it doesn't necessarily mean your child will have the allergy or your sibling will have the allergy. And because of that, it's not necessarily deemed that they have to keep an EpiPen in those circumstances.
Host: Now you touched on this a bit already, but if you had a systemic allergic reaction to a bee sting in the past, what is your future risk for anaphylaxis with future stings?
Dr. Kumar: Yeah. So, if you've already had a systemic allergic reaction, then for adults, it's about a 60% risk of future anaphylaxis. And for children, it's about a 40% risk of anaphylaxis. And that's if you get stung in the next like say 10 years. If it's been greater than 10 years, then that risk starts to drop a little bit. So, for adults that drops down to 40% risk and then for children, it drops down to about a 20% risk. So, if it's been longer and longer since you've had the reaction, then with time your body naturally starts to outgrow things a little bit. So, a lot of times people will come to me and say, I had a reaction as a young child, and now they're you know, adults. And oftentimes I explain to them that the allergy testing may have shifted at this point and they may not be at the same risk they were when they were children.
Host: So, is there anything we can do to like, get rid of a bee allergy?
Dr. Kumar: Yeah. So, you know, I oftentimes tell patients that if they've had I had an allergic reaction, it behooves them to go see an allergist and get tested and confirm it. And if they have a confirmed allergy, then they can actually go on allergy shots as a way of trying to get rid of their future allergic risk. Allergy shots for bee allergies are where we basically have the patients come in and they start off on a weekly schedule where they come in once a week and they basically get diluted amounts of venom that's injected into, into their skin.
And over time, over the course of a few months, we build up their tolerance, meaning we give them more and more concentrated shots. So, by the end, they're getting almost close to the equivalent of about seven to 10 stings worth of venom every week when they come in. After about four months, they go on to about once a month for their allergy shots, and then they stay on their allergy shots for about three to five years. And venom allergy shots are quite effective. They in some of the studies, the rate of efficacy is almost as high as 95, 97%. So, they protect you in the event of being stung again in the future, in terms of developing that reaction again.
Host: And wrapping up here. Are there any simple tips, I guess, really for anyone to prevent bee stings?
Dr. Kumar: Yeah. So, you know, obviously, you know, there's always some, some simple things that we always suggest to patients, for example, you know, if you're outside and you're wearing colored clothing, or if it's really brightly colored. Well, you know, bees are attracted to bright colors and flowers and things. So, that could be a potential trigger. So, we tell people, you know, if you're going to be outdoors, wear something that's, you know, more light, not as colorful, maybe lightly shaded. You want to be careful about, you know, wearing heavily scented perfumes or using heavily scented soaps. Again, these are the things that attract bees to us or stinging insects to us.
And so, if we can help to minimize that. That can be helpful. If you're, you know, doing a cookout, you kind of want to make sure that the food stays covered. Cause again, the smell of the cooked food can attract the bees, especially sometimes if we're outdoors and we have, you know, sodas or punches or things that are kind of like sugary drinks, we want to make sure that those stay covered. Cause again, they can be you know, pretty potent attractor of bees. And then just to be, you know, common sense and mindful, like if you're going to be around flowers and you have a stinging insect allergy, you kind of want to be a little bit more mindful that, you know, bees could be in those areas.
And then if you actually see a bee and they're you know, and they're in your vicinity, one of the things you want to do is just to stay calm and just shift away or move slowly away. If you, you know, create a ruckus or try to swat it away, you're likely to make the insect a little bit angry. And they're probably going to be more prone to stinging you in that event. And so, you know, you just want to kind of move away calmly and just be mindful and still try to enjoy the outdoors you know, but while trying to stay safe at the same time.
Host: Well, thank you so much Dr. Kumar for these tips, and hopefully, really anybody will be able to prevent more stings in the future. For more information, you can always visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . This has been the Solution Health podcast from Solution Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.
Caitlin Whyte (Host): For most of us, getting stung by a bee hurts, but it's a rather small inconvenience. But for some, it could cause a pretty serious reaction, even be life-threatening. So, with spring just around the corner, today, we are talking about bee venom allergies with Dr. Amit Kumar an Allergy Physician with Solution Health. This is the Solution Health podcast from Solution Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. So, Dr. Kumar to open up here, what is a bee venom allergy?
Amit Kumar, MD (Guest): Sure. So, a bee venom allergy is when you get stung by a stinging insect and there's five common stinging insects in the US. There's honeybees, wasps, yellow jackets, white face hornets and yellow face hornets and people who are allergic when they get stung, they can have quite a reaction. For example, some patients will get lip swelling or throat swelling or tongue swelling. Some patients will get wheezing and they can't breathe. Some patients will feel lightheaded or dizzy or feel like they're going to pass out. The person basically has a full blown systemic reaction when they're stung by a bee, which can be at times life-threatening.
Host: And that leads me into my next question. Tell us more, give us some more details about the reactions people can get.
Dr. Kumar: Yeah, so people sometimes think that if they've just been stung, they're at risk for future allergy the next time. And that's not always the case. A lot of times, it depends on the nature of the reaction that you have the first time. So, for example, if somebody gets stung and they just get a large local lump where they got swollen, well that actually doesn't put you at a risk for future anaphylaxis. Those patients only have about a 10% risk of future systemic allergic reaction. Versus if somebody just got hives all over their body after they had been stung, even that doesn't necessarily always put you at a higher risk for systemic allergic reaction. The persons we worry the most about are the people who say I've been stung and I had lips swelling, throat swelling, tongue swelling, wheezing, all those systemic features. Then those patients are very high risk for future anaphylaxis. In some studies, for example, adults are about 60% risk of having future anaphylaxis and in children about 40% risk if they've been, if they get stung again in the next few years,
Host: So, when it comes to bee allergies and an EpiPen, who should be carrying one? Is it anyone who's gotten a bee sting before?
Dr. Kumar: No. So, a lot of times then when we think about who needs the EpiPen the most, it's those patients, who've had a history of anaphylaxis because they're very prone to having that reaction again in the future. So, typically those are the patients when they come and see me, those are the ones who typically leave with an EpiPen prescription. Patients who have had local reactions or just mild hives after sting don't necessarily need to keep an EpiPen because they're not necessarily at risk in the future.
Host: Now, what about if your parents have a bee allergy, does that put you at a higher risk?
Dr. Kumar: Well, that's a great question. We get asked that a lot. A lot of times parents will say, I have an allergy, now I'm worried my child will have an allergy. And the truth of the matter is actually a bee venom allergy doesn't necessarily need to be hereditary, much of the time. In fact, in the studies, they show that there's not always a hereditary element there. So, I oftentimes tell parents just because you have the allergy, it doesn't necessarily mean your child will have the allergy or your sibling will have the allergy. And because of that, it's not necessarily deemed that they have to keep an EpiPen in those circumstances.
Host: Now you touched on this a bit already, but if you had a systemic allergic reaction to a bee sting in the past, what is your future risk for anaphylaxis with future stings?
Dr. Kumar: Yeah. So, if you've already had a systemic allergic reaction, then for adults, it's about a 60% risk of future anaphylaxis. And for children, it's about a 40% risk of anaphylaxis. And that's if you get stung in the next like say 10 years. If it's been greater than 10 years, then that risk starts to drop a little bit. So, for adults that drops down to 40% risk and then for children, it drops down to about a 20% risk. So, if it's been longer and longer since you've had the reaction, then with time your body naturally starts to outgrow things a little bit. So, a lot of times people will come to me and say, I had a reaction as a young child, and now they're you know, adults. And oftentimes I explain to them that the allergy testing may have shifted at this point and they may not be at the same risk they were when they were children.
Host: So, is there anything we can do to like, get rid of a bee allergy?
Dr. Kumar: Yeah. So, you know, I oftentimes tell patients that if they've had I had an allergic reaction, it behooves them to go see an allergist and get tested and confirm it. And if they have a confirmed allergy, then they can actually go on allergy shots as a way of trying to get rid of their future allergic risk. Allergy shots for bee allergies are where we basically have the patients come in and they start off on a weekly schedule where they come in once a week and they basically get diluted amounts of venom that's injected into, into their skin.
And over time, over the course of a few months, we build up their tolerance, meaning we give them more and more concentrated shots. So, by the end, they're getting almost close to the equivalent of about seven to 10 stings worth of venom every week when they come in. After about four months, they go on to about once a month for their allergy shots, and then they stay on their allergy shots for about three to five years. And venom allergy shots are quite effective. They in some of the studies, the rate of efficacy is almost as high as 95, 97%. So, they protect you in the event of being stung again in the future, in terms of developing that reaction again.
Host: And wrapping up here. Are there any simple tips, I guess, really for anyone to prevent bee stings?
Dr. Kumar: Yeah. So, you know, obviously, you know, there's always some, some simple things that we always suggest to patients, for example, you know, if you're outside and you're wearing colored clothing, or if it's really brightly colored. Well, you know, bees are attracted to bright colors and flowers and things. So, that could be a potential trigger. So, we tell people, you know, if you're going to be outdoors, wear something that's, you know, more light, not as colorful, maybe lightly shaded. You want to be careful about, you know, wearing heavily scented perfumes or using heavily scented soaps. Again, these are the things that attract bees to us or stinging insects to us.
And so, if we can help to minimize that. That can be helpful. If you're, you know, doing a cookout, you kind of want to make sure that the food stays covered. Cause again, the smell of the cooked food can attract the bees, especially sometimes if we're outdoors and we have, you know, sodas or punches or things that are kind of like sugary drinks, we want to make sure that those stay covered. Cause again, they can be you know, pretty potent attractor of bees. And then just to be, you know, common sense and mindful, like if you're going to be around flowers and you have a stinging insect allergy, you kind of want to be a little bit more mindful that, you know, bees could be in those areas.
And then if you actually see a bee and they're you know, and they're in your vicinity, one of the things you want to do is just to stay calm and just shift away or move slowly away. If you, you know, create a ruckus or try to swat it away, you're likely to make the insect a little bit angry. And they're probably going to be more prone to stinging you in that event. And so, you know, you just want to kind of move away calmly and just be mindful and still try to enjoy the outdoors you know, but while trying to stay safe at the same time.
Host: Well, thank you so much Dr. Kumar for these tips, and hopefully, really anybody will be able to prevent more stings in the future. For more information, you can always visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . This has been the Solution Health podcast from Solution Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.