A Single Wasp Sting Causes Stroke In Healthy Man

We are repeatedly told by the experts that we humans have nothing to worry about if we should be stung by a bee or a wasp. Beyond the pain associated with an insect’s venom, there does not exist any chance that the sting will lead to serious problems, unless a person is stung multiple times of course. However, this line of thinking has been challenged by a recent case involving a man suffering a stroke not long after being stung by a wasp.

According to the doctor responsible for treating the stroke victim, it is unheard of that a single wasp sting could lead to a stroke.  However, the doctor did mention that there exist several documented incidents in which people developed a stroke after being stung repeatedly by bees or wasps. Despite these past cases, a single sting should not deliver enough venom to alter a person’s physiological functioning to the extent that a stroke would occur.

The doctor treating the stroke victim believes that his stroke was caused by the wasps venom, which contains blood vessel-constricting compounds. After scanning the patient’s brain, they found that his blood vessels were indeed constricted, which could have left a portion of his brain starved for blood, which would have caused his stroke. A clot could have formed, but if a clot did form, the doctors did not detect it in time. So I guess you should be afraid of wasp stings after all.

Have you ever known anybody who suffered serious medical consequences from a single insect bite, or sting?