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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffIn most cases, jellyfish stings don't cause long-term complications.
Hypersensitivity
Some people experience a delayed hypersensitivity — an allergy-like reaction to the venom — that may produce blisters, rash or other skin irritations a week or more after the jellyfish sting.
Others who are highly sensitive to jellyfish venom can develop a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) on exposure to jellyfish. A flood of chemicals released by your immune system during anaphylaxis can cause you to go into shock. Your blood pressure drops suddenly, and the narrowing of airways block normal breathing.
Rare complications
In rare cases jellyfish stings can cause:
- Infection
- Scarring
- Marcus EN, et al. Jellyfish stings. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 20, 2011.
- Auerbach P. Envenomation by aquatic invertebrates. In: Auerbach P., ed. Wilderness Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50078-1&isbn=978-0-323-03228-5&uniqId=254897538-2#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50078-1. Accessed May 20, 2011.
- Isbister GK. Trauma and envenomations from marine fauna. In: Tintinalli JE, et al. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=6379433. Accessed May 20, 2011.
- Junghanss T, et al. Medically important venomous animals: Biology, prevention, first aid, and clinical management. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2006;43:1309.
- Markenson D, et al. Part 13: First aid: 2010 American Heart Association and American Red Cross International consensus on first aid science with treatment recommendations. Circulation. 2011;122:S582.
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