Mild difficulty breathing or wheezing after a bite or sting

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Mild difficulty breathing or wheezing after a bite or sting

Signs of mild difficulty breathing may include:

• Breathing slightly faster than normal at rest.
• Breathing slightly faster with normal activity.
• Feeling slightly tired from breathing.

Wheezing is a whistling noise that occurs when the small airways (bronchioli) become narrower. Mild wheezing may be heard when the person breathes out. As the severity of wheezing increases, it may be heard when the person breathes in and out.

You might feel a little short of breath because of anxiety or hyperventilation after an insect or spider bite or sting. If this is the case, try to relax and slow your breathing down.

In an allergic reaction, throat tissues may swell or breathing passages may narrow, causing difficulty breathing, wheezing, or shortness of breath. Symptoms can begin suddenly or gradually. The more quickly symptoms begin, the more serious the reaction is likely to be. A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) can be fatal and is a medical emergency.

Credits

Last updated:	February 01, 2008
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Sean P. Bush, MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine and Envenomation Specialist
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer