"Had a caterpillar in his shirt, now there is a rash over a large area": Desperate patient seeks help on the Internet
Created: 07/14/2022, 2:48 p.m
By: Juliane Gutmann
Rash can have many causes.
For example, contact with animals can result in unpleasant itching, for example in the case of an allergy.
A reddit user had to experience this.
The internet is the first port of call for many when it comes to health issues.
Symptoms are googled, doctor reviews are analyzed and specific questions are asked.
Platforms like reddit are perfect for this.
In July 2022, the reddit user nicknamed TheNimbleKindle reached out to the community.
The photo he posted makes animal lovers curiously pull out their reading glasses – others turn away in disgust.
The question TheNimbleKindle asks: "Had a
caterpillar in my shirt, now I have a large rash
- what got me?"
Who knows what caterpillar this is?
A Reddit user had such a specimen fall out of his t-shirt.
© TheNimbleKindle/reddit
Rash on upper body after contact with caterpillar: "Swarm intelligence, I need your help!"
The rash sufferer had no idea what was happening to him when suddenly his skin started to itch.
In desperation, he wrote in his reddit post: "Swarm intelligence, I need your help!
Nature took its revenge on me yesterday.
Spent the lunch break outside, in the later meeting I suddenly felt itchy and pulled the guy out of my shirt.
The itching got worse over the working day and now I have a large rash on my upper body.
I have no idea what got me there."
A reaction was not long in coming, with answers such as "It looks like the
oak processionary moth
" or "Kill it with fire!".
In fact, countless "victims" of oak processionary moths require medical attention every year.
Because the caterpillar has the finest, barbed hairs on its back, which can trigger allergic symptoms in humans.
As the medical journal informs, a full-grown caterpillar carries up to half a million of the so-called stinging hairs.
If people react with allergic skin reactions, doctors speak of
caterpillar dermatitis
.
This can occur after contact with the stinging hairs of the caterpillar, especially on uncovered areas of skin such as the neck, face and arms, according to information from the medical journal.
Contact with the hairs of the oak processionary moth and a protein (thaumetopoein) causes skin irritation, according to the medical journal.
The following
allergic symptoms
are possible:
Severe itching
skin redness
Formation of wheals and vesicles
Insect bite-like papules
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Contact with oak processionary moth: Allergic shock is possible
Some people have such an extreme reaction to contact with oak processionary moths that they go into allergic shock.
A Reddit user also responded to the rash patient's call for help with a warning: "
If you get a little tight in your throat, go to the emergency room immediately ."
.
I had such an encounter with oak processionary moths several years ago.
First just a rash on my legs, I didn't think about anything else, went to sleep.
Then woke up at dawn because I was choking.
My legs are now so swollen that I can hardly stand up.
Had to go to the emergency room and first to the shock room, allergic attack with acute shortness of breath.
I'm not allergic to anything else and I've never had asthma or anything."
According to the medical journal, breathing in and swallowing oak processionary moth hairs is particularly dangerous.
Irritation of the upper respiratory tract, swelling of the mucous membranes and even shortness of breath are possible consequences.
(jg)
