Bed bug bites: Pictures, treatment, and prevention

Date: Jun-25-2017 Most people who are bitten by bed bugs experience symptoms that include irritation, sores, or itchiness. But how should bed bug bites be treated and can they be prevented?

There are several ways of reducing the chances of getting bites, while the treatment options include good hygiene and antihistamines.

This article explores bed bug bite treatment and prevention methods in detail.

Contents of this article:

What are bed bugs?

What do bed bug bites look and feel like?

Other symptoms of bed bug bites

Treating bed bug bites

Identifying bed bugs

Preventing bed bug bites

Controlling bed bugs

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed on human blood.

While they are a public health concern, bed bugs are not known to transmit disease through their bites.

Bed bugs use a small tube-like structure called a proboscis to pierce the skin and drink a person's blood. The pests are most active when humans are asleep, during the night and early morning.

An estimated one in five Americans have personally dealt with a bed bug infestation or knows someone who has encountered the pests.

What do bed bug bites look and feel like?

The bed bug bites may form a line or be in a zigzag pattern.

Bed bugs can bite anywhere on the body where there is skin. Typically, bites tend to occur on areas exposed during sleeping, such as:

neck

face

hands

shoulders

arms

legs

Many people do not feel the bite itself or develop clear symptoms other than the dots where the bug bit and some minor, surrounding inflammation and irritation. Others are considered hypersensitive to bites and develop more severe symptoms.

In most cases symptoms occur more or less immediately after the bite, but they can develop or progress over the following days as well. Without further irritation, symptoms typically resolve after a week or so.

Almost all bed bug bites will produce some degree of discomfort, typically itchiness and inflammation. Other signs and symptoms of bed bug bites include:

a burning painful sensation

a raised itchy bump with a clear center

a red itchy bump with a dark center and lighter swollen surrounding area

small red bumps or welts in a zigzag pattern or a line

small red bumps surrounded by blisters or hives

papular eruptions or areas of skin with raised or flat patches that may be inflamed

small spots of blood from bites often dried or stained onto sheets or bed clothing

reddish or reddish-brown dried stains on fabrics due to bed bug droppings

white or clear skins, shed by the nymphs as they mature

Individual characteristics of the bug's bite and the person who is bitten also influence the resulting sore.

While fairly rare, some people have or develop severe reactions and symptoms from bed bug bites. Serious symptoms that require medical attention include:

difficulty breathing

blisters

fever

feeling nauseous or flu-like

swollen tongue

irregular heartbeat

Other symptoms of bed bug bites

Living with bed bugs can cause additional health complications:

Increased likelihood of infection: Due to the skin's surface being compromised.

Sleep deprivation: The idea of being fed on can be extremely stressful. Given that the bugs only feed at night, some people will avoid sleep or will only get fitful or restless sleep.

Decreased wellbeing: A continual lack of sleep has been linked to feelings of depression, anxiety, general fatigue, and lowered immune function. The misconceptions surrounding bed bugs, especially the mistaken association with lack of cleanliness, can add to feelings of depression and low self-esteem.

Treating bed bug bites

Bed bug bites should heal on their own, but may be itchy and swollen in the meantime.
Image credit: James Heilman MD, 2013

There are relatively few treatments options when it comes to uncomplicated bed bug bites.

The first recommended line of treatment involves cleaning the wound, ideally with soap and water.

For itchy bites, the following may relieve minor symptoms:

over-the-counter hydrocortisone

anti-itch creams

antihistamines

Most wounds heal on their own within a week, sometimes two.

If severe swelling, inflammation, or itchiness occurs or persists, a person should seek medical attention.

A dramatic immune response may be a sign of an allergic reaction. If this is the case, one of the following may need to be administered:

an injectable corticosteroid

antihistamine

epinephrine medication

If infection occurs, antibiotics may be prescribed.

Severe itchiness may result in further complications, such as infection or scarring. If severe itching is experienced, people may be prescribed corticosteroid creams and antihistamine pills or liquid.

Identifying bed bugs

Older bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are brown in color.

One way to help prevent exposure and potential infestations by bed bugs is to be able to recognize bed bugs and distinguish them from other pests.

In a 2017 study, some 35 percent of polled American business travellers and 28 percent of leisure travellers were unable to tell a bed bug apart from other household pests.

Common characteristics of nymphs (young bed bugs) include:

being less than than 5 mm in length

whitish-yellow and or clear-colored

invisible without a microscope or magnifying glass

The nymphs are easier to see if they have just feed when the blood fills their abdomen, giving it a reddish brown color.

Adult bed bugs are typically far easier to spot than nymphs. Identifiable characteristics of most adult bed bugs include:

an oval-shaped body

apple seed in size

a body that is fairly flat unless recently fed and inflated

reddish-brown to light-brown or tan color of shell, depending on how recently it fed

a length of 5-7 millimeters (mm)

three segments, an antenna with four parts, short yellow hairs, and unusable wings

a musty or stale-sweet scent released by glands on the underbelly

Controlling bed bugs needs the identification and complete removal or destruction of the pest's eggs.

On average, one female can produce at least 345 eggs over her lifetime. Egg-laying females often increase the volume and frequency of feeding to support their brood.

Common characteristics and signs of bed bug eggs include:

they are often laid in the same places where the female choses to rest

they resemble tiny barrel-shaped, pearl-colored specks, no bigger than the head of a pin

they develop a noticeable eye spot after a few days

Preventing bed bug bites

The key to preventing bed bug bites is to stop the insects entering, feeding, and breeding in human environments.

In the daytime, bed bugs often seek refuge in the cracks and crevices of furniture, flooring, walls, and mattresses.

The seams and folds of upholstered furniture can also offer an ideal hiding place. Bed bugs have been known to persist in vacuum canisters or units.

The insects tend to pick hiding spots near human sleeping quarters, including bedrooms. Bed bugs found in other rooms are usually a sign of a severe infestation.

Areas where bed bug infestations commonly occur include:

Searching for bed bugs includes looking for reddish-brown stains caused by their droppings and the clear skins shed by nymphs as they mature.

apartment or condominium buildings

large office spaces

hotels

vacation rentals

cruise ships

daycares

nursing homes

hospitals

college dormitories or housing units

public transportation, including airplanes

shopping malls

furniture or second hand stores

urban areas

rented homes

Items commonly responsible for spreading bed bugs include:

used or secondhand furniture

new furniture or textiles exposed to bed bugs during transit

items of luggage

chairs or loungers where people fall asleep

bedding or bed clothes

moving or storage boxes

shipped items, especially if held at several locations or warehouses

Bed bugs do not have a preference between sanitary, messy, or unsanitary conditions.

They can, however, be found at higher rates in places, such as hotels, if infestations are not properly cleared.

Controlling bed bugs

Home tips for preventing, controlling, and clearing bed bug infestations include:

Avoid furniture or items from infested areas or environments commonly impacted by bed bugs, such as apartment buildings.

Pick furniture or items made out of materials that do not typically contain cracks, crevices or seams, including plastic, stone, metal, plaster, and high-weave textiles.

Washing bedding at high temperatures and checking for signs of bed bugs in hotel rooms can help prevent bed bug bites.

Fill or seal cracks, crevices, and seams with products, such as glue or calking.

Clean bedding and bed clothing regularly.

Wash and dry bedding at high heat.

Vacuum upholstered items regularly and thoroughly, including mattresses, pillows, etc.

Clean heavier bedding items, including mattresses, pillows, comforters, and duvet covers, using high heat, ideally the "dry steam" setting available on modern washing machines.

Use a hand steamer to kill eggs and bugs in luggage or upholstered items.

When traveling, keep luggage on racks and away from floors, beds, and furniture.

Check for signs of bed bugs upon entering hotel rooms or other pest hot spots.

Remember, where there is one bed bug there are usually many, often in the areas surrounding or adjacent to the infected room or item.

Cover as much of the skin as possible while sleeping.

In severe or persistent cases, furniture or infected items may need to be destroyed, ideally by burning.

Written by Jennifer Huizen

Courtesy: Medical News Today Note: Any medical information available in this news section is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional.