PV or hydroxyurea - increased sensitivity to insect bites?

[souplover]

Hi everyone,

I've been feeling increased sensitivity to insect bites and I'm wondering whether it's tied to either PV or Hydroxyurea. Or maybe it's just age.

Mosquito bites last for days now and are unbearably itchy, while in the past mosquito bites would pass within a couple of hours.

I'd love to hear whether others have experienced the same.

[Jsb45]

Recently, I have had itching after a shower, I didn't have that to any great extent prior to this summer. I have been on Hydroxy for over three years and phlebotomies as well.

I did read in a study that those with PV or ET have an increased reaction to the H2 histamine. They put stomach cells in a petri dish from those with and without an MPN and the MPN cells reacted to the H2 histamine more aggressively, and even if the cells temperatures were raised from a hot shower it triggered the itching response in those with an MPN.

I would guess this is a result of your MPN and not the meds. Our bodies react differently now that we have this issue. I have noticed spider bites seem to fester more than before but didn't give it much thought.

Hope this helps!

Best of luck

JB

[souplover in reply to Jsb45]

Thanks, yes, that does help. That would make sense. I think this started just a little before I was diagnosed.

[mhos61 in reply to souplover]

I’ve had a few bad reactions. In Italy I had to get a cortisone shot and antibiotics for a nasty mosquito bite. I’ve had a couple of bad reactions in the UK too that needed antibiotics.

Look at my profile, I uploaded a photo of a severe reaction I got from a bite in the UK last year.

ET (Jak2).