Insect bites

[ccg123]

Evening !

It may not be In any way related, but I just wondered if there is any link between autoimmunity and insect bites (or perhaps the reaction when bitten )? I tend to get visibly bitten almost once a week. This has been going on for several years. Just interested to know if anyone else experiences this?

Thanks

[Maggsie]

Oh God yes. Since I was diagnosed I've really suffered and it's got worse over the years. I get bitten a lot and the bites get inflamed and very itchy, some get blistered and weepy as well. It's got so bad that I'll only go abroad between Oct and May to avoid the mosquitos. I got bitten quite badly on my back a couple of days ago and had to resort to an antihistamine tablet to calm them down. Not sure if it's the RA or the meds because it does seem to have gotten worse with the steady increase in mtx.

[roseyx]

Yes. I find nettle stings and insect bites react far more dramatically than they used to but think, maybe wrongly, it's the DMARDS that are the cause . I also seem to have become far more beset by hay fever and take anti histamine very day.

I read somewhere that beestings can be administered as a treatment for autoimmune conditions.

There does seem to be some mysterious link which it would be interesting to explore.

[ccg123]

Thanks for your replies. I don’t currently take drugs so thought it may be something to do with the condition. Interesting

[wishbone]

Since I've had RA, I've been stung by a bee, eaten alive by midges, bit by horseflies and for the first time that I'm aware of, bit by a mozzie while sat inside my house last summer. I've never had a reaction of any significance before or after having RA.

[ccg123 in reply to wishbone]

Wow that is a lot! Luckily mine are just bites but seems like it happens constantly

[wishbone in reply to ccg123]

If you have an auto immune disease or not, for whatever reason some folks can have a nasty reaction while others don't.

Forgot to include my most unusual bite...a small male orb web spider must have latched onto me when I was out walking the dog and nipped me on the neck as I arrived home. It didn't hurt, but I could definitely feel the bite, which left a small red mark on my neck. If a little ole' male spider can do that then I wouldn't want one of those big fat females sink their fangs in me.

[Mmrr]

ccg123 I seem to be the opposite of most of your replies ! Throughout my life I have reacted severely to insect bites, and suffered from mild/moderate hayfever. Since being diagnosed with RD and commencing treatment for the first time in living memory I have not had hayfever nor any insect bite to speak of this summer.

[Hidden]

Friends invite me to their parties and have me stand in a far corner, so the bugs leave everyone else alone (ha ha ha)

[Ozzy]

I have always been eaten alive, I was bitten on my eyelid once overnight and I could not open my eye in the morning had to wait for anti histamine to take effect. Went on a safari in Kenya and when I returned to the hotel the manager tried to hide both me and my daughter so that the other guests could not see how badly bitten we were. Thank god for anti malaria tablets. I have never found a repellent that works.