Burning jellyfish
Tentacles that extend from the hemispherical body of the jellyfish contain a paralyzing poison. To a greater or lesser degree, all jellyfish are poisonous; one of the most dangerous are the Portuguese ships. The burn of the jellyfish causes a rather painful sensation. It should be remembered that they can sting not only in the water, so you should not touch jellyfish that are thrown by waves on the beach.
Pathogenesis
In the body of many jellyfish are contained nematicides (stinging cells) that produce poison, which they need to extract food and protection. They also have nematocysts (small intracellular structures) - it's a capsule, inside of which is a hollow thread, twisted into a spiral. Touching the jellyfish causes an instant reaction - it releases through its stinging cells, which exerts a nerve agent that is injected into the body. Cells with poison remain on the skin and after the tentacles have been separated, continuing to affect it - as a result, a person experiences severe pain, which can develop into a painful shock.
Symptoms of the burn jellyfish
The first sign of a jellyfish burn is a severe pain, which can exceed even the pain from a bite of several wasps. Further, the jellyfish burn can manifest itself in the form of a rash on the skin, itching, and also the appearance of large scars. Further symptoms depend on the intensity of the burn, as well as the type of bite jellyfish. Among such manifestations are:
- Vomiting with nausea;
- Muscle spasms and cramps;
- Diarrhea;
- Numbness of the body.
Complications and consequences
Burning jellyfish can cause anaphylactic shock. Among other complications, the following symptoms may occur:
- The appearance of red spots on the skin;
- Feeling of anxiety;
- Swollen neck, tongue and face, as well as swelling in the area around the eyes;
- Slowness of voice;
- Problems with breathing;
- Increased heart rate.
Treatment of the burn jellyfish
What to do if a jellyfish is burned? First aid
In the event that a jellyfish was burned, it is necessary to immediately provide the victim with first aid, which consists of such priority measures:
- Abundantly water the part of the body that has been bitten with water to wash off the remains of the tentacles and the toxic substance on the skin;
- Apply to the inflamed skin of the ice to reduce the strength of pain;
- Immediately seek the help of specialists to ensure that the victim was provided with qualified medical care using the necessary means and medicines in such cases;
- It is also necessary to monitor the breathing and heartbeat of the victim, as in some cases, the result of a jellyfish bite may be a pain shock or a severe allergic reaction.
What to do with the case of a jellyfish burn?
It is necessary to leave the sea immediately. Since most jellyfish are not so poisonous as to pose a danger to human life, it is possible to relieve the victim of unpleasant sensations immediately on the shore - to treat the skin area with a burn. It should be borne in mind that in some categories of people there may be a more serious reaction (pain shock) to bite - this applies to the elderly, children, allergies, and besides those who have respiratory or cardiovascular diseases.
When the victim leaves the water, it must be washed (it should only be salted water or a solution of soda, but not fresh, because under its influence, nematicides are activated on the contrary) and cleanse the skin area that was attacked by jellyfish - remove the remains of tentacles from it. It should be remembered that bare hands to the wound can not be touched - this will cause another burn. Therefore, for cleaning, you should use cotton swabs or napkins.
If you have a first aid kit with ammonia (instead of it you can use alcohol or apple cider vinegar), the place of burn is recommended to be treated with lotion - this method allows you to remove toxins from the damaged skin. The fresh urine of a person can weaken the impact of a jellyfish bite.
The victim is also recommended to drink more.
After the patient was provided with all the necessary first aid, he should be taken to the doctor to prevent the risk of unwanted consequences. This is an obligatory procedure, because there are very dangerous kinds of jellyfish, the bite of which can cause serious consequences or allergies.
It should also be noted what can not be done in case of getting a jellyfish burn:
- Treat the bite site with any oil or fat cream;
- Disinfect the inflamed area using solutions containing alcohol, as well as greens or iodine;
- To scratch, rub and generally touch the burned place - you can not irritate the damaged skin.
Further treatment of the burn from jellyfish
The site of the bite should be treated with a medicinal product in order to weaken the effect of the poison. To do this, you need to use drugs to eliminate itching and inflammation. The edema effectively removes the hydrocortisone cream, and from the itching rid the preparations treating the insect bites. Among such medicines are anti-inflammatory and antihistamines: Fenistil, Psychalamzam, and Aloe Vera.
Medications
Fenistil is used in cases of pruritus of the skin (pruritus may have a different nature, except that it has arisen due to cholestasis), for example, in the case of an insect bite. Contraindicated in such situations: with high sensitivity to the substance dimethindene or other components of the drug, prostatic hyperplasia, the closed-angle form of glaucoma; children up to 1 month. (especially premature). With caution appoint in the trimester of pregnancy, as well as with breastfeeding.
The drug is applied externally - 2-4 r. / Day. Lubricate the damage site. If a large area of the skin is affected or the itching is very severe, use oral forms of the drug with the gel.
Among the side effects Fenistila - burning and dry skin. Sometimes there may be an itch and a rash.
Hydrocortisone ointment is used to treat skin diseases - atopic, simple and allergic dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, photodermatosis, erythroderma, and also with insect bites.
Ointment is contraindicated in the following cases: with high sensitivity to the elements of the drug, fungal, bacterial and viral skin diseases (such as mycosis and pyoderma), cutaneous tuberculosis, perioral dermatitis, wounds or ulcers, tumors on the skin, skin syphilis, post-vaccination period, as well as children under 2 years old. C with caution prescribed for diabetes, 1 trimester of pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as in the case of systemic tuberculosis.
The use of hydrocortisone ointment - to treat a thin layer of the drug inflamed skin a maximum of 3-4 r. / Day. The treatment course lasts for 1-3 weeks. For 1 week you can use no more than 30-60 g of ointment.
Among the side effects of the drug: the appearance on the skin of the rash. In the case of prolonged use (especially when using hermetic bandages or applying to a large area of the skin), systemic side reactions may occur.
Alternative treatment
There are several methods of alternative treatment of jellyfish bite.
The place of the jellyfish bite can be treated with a solution of salt, soda or ammonia (weak), then attach to it a piece of ice, pre-wrapped in a clean cloth.
Take 1 part salt, 4 parts flour and add water to them (before the formation of gruel). The resulting mixture as much as possible to lubricate the burned places. Top bandage on top. Within an hour, the pain and itching will be weakened. Since it is rather difficult to remove such gruel from the skin (during this period of time it dries up), it is necessary to soak it beforehand.
With inflammation, the rings of a tomato or lemon can handle well - you need to tightly cover them with a damaged area of the skin.
Reduce the degree of skin damage can aloe (under the influence of this medicinal plant stops bloating). It must be cut, applied to the wound, after which it should be bandaged.
A good alternative method is also egg white - it needs to be beaten, after which it is applied to the burn place.
Burns effectively removes sea buckthorn oil and goose fat.
Another quality product - carrots, as it contains a lot of provitamin A. You should grate the carrots with a grater, after which the resulting gruel lubricate the burned skin.
Homeopathy
In case of jellyfish burn, Medusa 30 C homeopathic remedy should be given as soon as possible to the victim. The scheme for further use of the drug should be discussed with the homeopath, because for each case individual treatment is prescribed, which depends on the age of the victim, the burn strength and other factors. Therefore, you will need a consultation with a specialist.
To treat a jellyfish sting, use the homeopathic Calendula gel - they need to lubricate the affected area several times a day, allowing the medication to be absorbed into the skin.
Prevention
As the preventive methods of preventing the bite of jellyfish, the most basic thing is to avoid contact with them. To do this, you must follow certain safety rules:
- Try not to touch the jellyfish floating in the water, as in a calm state it does not release its poisonous tentacles. In case of necessity, they are capable of stretching over fairly long distances;
- It is undesirable to go into the sea after a storm, because snails of tentacles can float in the water;
- When diving, do not touch anything under the water (even if you wear gloves).
Medical expert editor
Portnov Alexey Alexandrovich
Education: Kiev National Medical University. A.A. Bogomolets, Specialty - "General Medicine"
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