Insect Bites And Stings And Spider Bites: Check Your Symptoms

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Check Your Symptoms

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, click on the "Yes" in front of the question for information about how soon to see a health professional.

Review health risks that may increase the seriousness of your symptoms.

If you have the following, evaluate those symptoms first.

• Tick bite: Go to the topic Tick Bites.

Yes

Have you used an epinephrine shot to treat an allergic reaction or been accidentally stuck with an epinephrine shot?

Yes

Have you been bitten, stung, or had contact with a poisonous spider, scorpion, or puss caterpillar?

Yes

Have you developed mild difficulty breathing or wheezing following a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you have hives following a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you have pain, burning, or numbness at the site of bite or sting?

Yes

Do you have tiny purple or red spots (petechiae) on your body following a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you have muscle spasms or muscle stiffness after a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you have a blister, painful sore, or purple discoloration at the site of a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you have new swelling?

Yes

Have you had multiple bites or stings, other than from mosquitoes?

Yes

Have 2 or more flu-like symptoms developed within minutes or up to 3 weeks of a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you think you have a skin infection at the site of a bite or sting?

Yes

Do you know or think you need a tetanus shot?

Other Symptoms to Watch For

Do you have any of the following symptoms?

• An expanding red rash that has developed within 3 weeks of an insect bite: Go to the topic Tick Bites.
• Symptoms of scabies: Go to the topic Scabies.
• Symptoms of lice: Go to the topic Lice.
• Symptoms that concern you after having traveled to a malaria-infected country in the past 12 months: Go to the topic Malaria.
• A blister or bump on the skin that you are not sure was caused by an insect or spider: Go to the topic Blisters or Skin Changes.
• A rash, but you are unsure if you were bitten or stung: Go to the topic Rash, Age 12 and Older or Rash, Age 11 and Younger.

If a visit to a health professional is not needed immediately, see the Home Treatment section for self-care information.

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