Bedbugs can’t live on your body.
Bed bugs can’t live on your body. They may prefer to live near their host, not on top of them. Bed bugs attract people who remain inactive (e.g., sleeping) long enough to provide a blood meal. According to research, they can stay 5 to 20 feet away or hide to feed blood. Once the blood feed is complete, bed bugs can usually retreat to their hiding places to digest the blood. Bed bugs do not have the body shape and legs required to climb, and they naturally prefer to live around their host, not on their skin or other parts. They prefer exposed skin rather than feeding on them. After a bed bug feeds, it swells up into a red balloon almost three times the size of normal. Therefore, bed bugs cannot survive or live discreetly on a human body while swelling to this level.
Where are bed bugs hiding?
Bed bugs usually live in the cracks and crevices of beds. When they sense that a person is asleep, they approach them and feed on their blood. Bed bugs are also found in couches, mattresses, chairs, sheets, blankets, suitcases, cardboard boxes, crowded areas, and other similar furniture.
How do bedbugs survive?
Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects. They usually live on the blood of other creatures to survive and breed. Bed bugs usually feed on humans and other warm-blooded hosts in order to survive and reproduce. They find a host by detecting carbon dioxide from warm blooded humans or animals and reacting to heat / moisture. To feed, they penetrate the host’s skin and inject a salivary fluid that contains an anticoagulant to collect blood.
Do bed bugs cause health problems?
Even without disease transmission, bed bugs are known to affect health in ways that can become serious. Some common health problems due to bedbugs include:
- Blood loss: Lots of bites over time can lead to significant blood loss and potential anemia. Depending on the stage of the bug, they can feed for just 3 minutes or 10-15 minutes. They prefer to feed on exposed areas such as their hands, neck, arms, and face at night. It is known that high feeding rates cause significant blood loss and eventually lead to anemia and other complications, especially in children.
- Allergic reaction: According to research, 70% of people can have bed bugs with allergic reactions, which can sometimes lead to life-threatening situations. Allergies to their feces and their remains can cause asthma attacks in susceptible individuals. Allergies to the bite caused by bed bug saliva can trigger hives, rashes, itching, and burning sensation.
- Infection: Bedbug bites can be very itchy, causing a strong urge to scratch them until the itching goes away. Some patients develop severe systemic reactions, including difficulty breathing, severe infection, and difficulty breathing. Since bedbugs often bite in the middle of the night when they sleep, people scratch them and cause flesh wounds in the morning. Small open wounds from continuous scratching can lead to germs and bacterial infections if left untreated. Scars can appear and persist for months or more.
- Emotional and psychological effects: It is known that some people respond to bedbug infestations with insomnia, anxiety, stress, anxiety, and even paranoia. Sometimes they are too desperate to sleep for fear of being bitten, and sometimes the lack of sleep can trigger depression and emotional anxiety.
How do you treat a bedbug bite?
Bed bugs can be treated at home; However, immediate medical attention may be required in severe cases:
- Bite sites should be washed with soap and water.
- A steroid anti-itch cream containing hydrocortisone or cortisone should be used.
- Calamin lotion can dry out the rash.
- Oral antihistamines or allergy pills can control the swelling and rashes caused by the bites.
- A topical anesthetic containing pramoxine for pain relief and diphenhydramine for itching control can be used.
- Pain relievers containing ibuprofen or naproxen can also be used.
- If wounds have pus, topical use of antipruritic drugs like paroxime, doxepin, or corticosteroids like triamcinolone may help.
- Sites that appear to be secondarily infected can benefit from topical mupirocin or systemic antibiotics as needed.
- Systemic allergic reactions to bedbug bites can be treated with intramuscular adrenaline, optionally followed by antihistamines and corticosteroids.
SLIDESHOW
The 14 most common causes of fatigue
See slide show
Medically checked on 09/28/2020
References
Where are bed bugs hiding on your body? (https://bedbuglawyer.org/blog/where-do-bed-bugs-hide-on-your body / # What_About_Bed_Bugs_in_Your_Scalp_or_Hair)
Bed Bug Bites: Everything you need to know – but you were afraid to ask: (https://www.patientcareonline.com/view/bed-bug-bites-everything-you-need-know-were-afraid-ask )
