Bedbugs

Skin | Dermatology | Bedbugs (Disease)


Description

A bed bug bite is painless and is not noticed. The most common signs are small, flat, or raised bumps on the skin, but redness, swelling, and itching commonly can occur. If scratched, the bite areas can become infected. A peculiarity of bed bug bites is the tendency to find several bites lined up in a row. Bed bug bites may go unnoticed or be mistaken for flea or mosquito bites or other types of rash or skin conditions, since they are difficult to distinguish from other bites. Bed bugs have not been conclusively proven to carry infectious microbes. However, researchers have implicated bed bugs as possible vectors of American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease).

Causes and Risk factors

Bed bugs are small and oval non-flying insects that feed with blood from humans or animals by sucking. Bed bugs usually are most efficacious at night and bite any exposed areas of skin while a person is sleeping. The common areas for bedbug bites are the face, neck, hands, and arms.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Typically, no treatment is required for bed bug bites. If itching is severe, steroid creams or oral antihistamines may be used for symptom relief. Secondary bacterial infections that develop over heavily scratched areas may require the use of antibiotics....