RESUMEN
Background: Immunotherapy can be used to treat allergic reactions to insect stings, specially bees and wasps. Aim: To report the experience with immunotherapy with aqueous extracts of hymenoptera venoms (bees and wasps). Material and methods: Ten patients aged 6 to 58 years were treated in an allergy center of a University Clinical Hospital. The medical indication for this treatment was, in all patients, anaphylactic reactions after hymenoptera stings. Immunotherapy was carried out using standardized vaccines (Aqueous extracts Venomvac LETI, Spain), applied in a traditional protocol, with subcutaneous injections. This protocol had two phases: a buildup phase (between weeks 1 and 13) and a monthly maintenance phase, from the 13th week. The monthly maintenance dose was 100 fig of hymenoptera specific venom extract. Results: Six patients had adverse reactions of different severity, during the treatment protocols and all had a good response to immediate therapeutic measures. After these events, they followed the protocol without problems. Two patients, treated with bee vaccines, suffered an accidental bee sting during the maintenance phase and they developed only local reactions. Conclusions: The lack of adverse reactions to bee stings in these two patients indicates the acquisition of clinical tolerance.
Asunto(s)
Adolescente , Adulto , Animales , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Venenos de Abeja/uso terapéutico , Desensibilización Inmunológica/métodos , Himenópteros/inmunología , Hipersensibilidad Inmediata/terapia , Mordeduras y Picaduras de Insectos/terapia , Venenos de Avispas/uso terapéutico , Anafilaxia/terapia , Venenos de Abeja/efectos adversos , Venenos de Abeja/inmunología , Hipersensibilidad Inmediata/inmunología , Mordeduras y Picaduras de Insectos/complicaciones , Mordeduras y Picaduras de Insectos/inmunología , Venenos de Avispas/efectos adversos , Venenos de Avispas/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Wasp stings generally cause local reactions like pain, wheal, flare, edema and swelling, which are generally self-limiting. Multiple stings can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, generalized edema, dyspnea, hypotension, collapse, renal failure or death. Unusually, they may cause serum sickness, vasculitis, neuritis or encephalitis. We report a case of a 40 year old male who developed focal neurological deficit 10 hours following a wasp sting, which was confirmed to be ponto-cerebellar infarction on MRI scan, and recovered within five days.