Case Report
Year: 2017 | Month: October | Volume: 7 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 262-264
Antihistamine Therapy for Leech Bite: A Case Report
Dr Ethar Imam
Pharmaceutical Care Department Security Forces Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT
Leeches that attack humans are two groups: land leeches that can penetrate the skin, and aquatic leeches that can enter the body via orifices such as the mouth. In the present case, we report effective antihistamine response for a land leech bite, in a male patient who visited a leech infested area, as a tourist. While walking into a rainforest zone, a land leech attached to the dorsum of his left foot. The patient experienced itch over the site of the leech bite. He panicked and removed the leech using his fingernail. Individuals planning tourism to leech-infested areas should take preventive measures against leech bite. These preventive measures include wearing boots, leech socks, and applying skin insect repellants.
Key words: Antihistamine therapy, Leech bite