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| Reactions to Mosquito Bites |
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Mosquitos are relatives of gnats and flies and are a type of flying insect. Basically only females bite humans and the reason for the bite is that they need the blood in order to be able to produce eggs. When a mosquito bites a person there is saliva injected into the skin that reduces the chances of clotting and keeps the blood flowing to the mosquito.
Many of the proteins that are found in the saliva can cause reactions. There are a range of typical problems that can be seen in people. There are many different types of reactions that can be considered. Further there are a number of different symptoms that need to be considered as well depending on the time frame and how many bites the person has been exposed to. Some of the reasons are that they could include both swelling and itching and it could be immediate or delayed. After being bitten over many years these reactions seems to be delayed a bit. If you have these reactions they are normal and you would not be classified as allergic to mosquitos.
However there are a number of different reactions in which it would be considered an allergic reaction and something to consider and think about. There are some more severe reactions that are classified as skeeter syndrome in people. There is a difference in the type of bump that is seen. If you have this problem what would be seen is blistering rash, bruise or large swollen area at the site of the bite. Skeeter syndrome is when there is a large area of swelling after a bite. This large of area of swelling could be an entire arm or leg or most of an arm or leg depending on the situation. Typically this type of issue might not be seen for up to 2 days after the bite has occurred.
The rare but very serious reactions that could occur include anaphalaxis after a bite or not being able to breathe properly. There could also be hives and swelling which would cover a large portion of the body. Another severe reaction issue is if you are having severe asthma related symptoms of if your asthma gets worse. With these severe reactions there is typically a reaction within a minute of the bite.
There are a number of factors that point to someone being at higher risk of an allergy to a mosquito bite. These include that if someone works outdoors or has a high amount of outdoor exposure they are a higher risk. Further there are also those who have a lower natural immunity to the mosquitos which would include young children or people who are visiting an area with mosquitos for the first time. The last group of people who are at a higher risk are those who have some type of immune system deficiency. Those would include people with AIDS or cancer. Diagnosis of a mosquito allergy can be made through a skin test. This type of allergy should only be tested by those who have a history of more severe reactions to bites.
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