Anaphylactic reaction/angioedema associated with jellyfish sting

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: João Claudio Campos Pereira, David Szpilman, Vidal Haddad Junior
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
• Subjects: Jellyfish; Anaphylactic reaction; Allergy; Bites and stings; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0044-2017; https://doaj.org/article/e82197328d514c168353a1ca7c51150d

Abstract The most frequent jellyfish in Southern Brazil causes mainly local pain and skin plaques. A 3-year-old female bather presented an erythematous, irregular plaque on the left forearm after contact with a jellyfish and intense facial angioedema with facial flushing. The lungs had vesicular murmur, wheezes, and snorts, and pink and spumous secretion in the airways with intercostal retraction. She was administered subcutaneous adrenaline (0.1mg/kg) and hydrocortisone intravenous (10mg/kg) with total recovery in a few minutes. The manifestations of anaphylactic reactions are distinct from those of envenomations, and prompt and adequate care is fundamental in these situations.