According to American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. are allergic to insect stings. Of these, about 500,000 will wind up in the emergency room after a sting and about 50 people die of insect stings each year. In nonallergic people, the sting of a yellow jacket wasp will cause local redness, pain and swelling at the site of the sting, which can last for several hours. However, when a person who is allergic to yellow jacket stings gets stung, the symptoms are much more serious. If a severe allergic reaction, or anaphylaxis, occurs in a person who has been stung by a yellow jacket, emergency medical treatment must be sought immediately.
How Anaphylaxis Works
The first time an allergic person is stung, his body will produce immunoglobulin E, or IgE. The second time the person is stung, the chance the reaction to the sting will be the same or worse than the first time is about 60 percent. The venom injected by the yellow jacket attaches itself to the IgE, which causes the body to release histamine. This overreaction to an allergen, in this case a yellow jacket sting, can cause symptoms so severe that they can be life-threatening.
Milder Allergic Symptoms
Early signs of anaphylaxis include itching, hives or swelling in areas not near the sting site, such as the tongue or throat. The allergic person might feel as though she has a lump in her throat and might develop hoarseness and have difficulty swallowing.
Severe Allergic Symptoms
An anaphylactic reaction to a yellow jacket sting can progress to more severe symptoms. Two or more of these symptoms might occur: difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, wheezing, hoarseness, stomach cramps, dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. The allergic person might develop a strong feeling of impending doom, or the feeling that something is seriously wrong. In the most severe cases, blood pressure can suddenly drop and the person can become unconscious and go into shock and cardiac arrest. This is a true life-threatening emergency that requires immediate medical attention.
Coping With Yellow Jacket Allergy
Individuals who are allergic to yellow jacket stings should seek the medical advice of an allergist or immunologist, who can prescribe epinephrine to be self-injected in the event of a sting. Allergists might also advise preventive treatment in the form of venom allergy shots, which administer gradually increasing doses of purified insect venom. This method has been nearly 100 percent effective in preventing future anaphylactic reactions to yellow jacket stings. Allergic individuals should learn to recognize yellow jackets and their nests, where they are likely to be located and what season these insects are most active.
