Severe abdominal pain will drive a 50-Year-old in the emergency room. The man lives in Ontario, in the southernmost tip of Canada. The complaints had in the morning used suddenly, he tells. The pain was cramp-like and diffuse, he can’t make it to a certain point.
About the same time with the stomach cramps, another Problem began. The man was always the feeling that he urgently needs to use the toilet, but then something dripped, hardly any in the bowl. The 50 sweats-Year-old strong, reports the Doctors to Matthew Carere from the University of Ottawa in “the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine”.
In a first investigation, the doctors find traces of blood in the urine, in addition, the Lactate is increased slightly. The 50-Year-old, reported by an insect or spider bite on the lecture – these are the Doctors, but irrelevant. Instead, you tap a renal colic. Everything seems to fit.
A renal colic is usually caused by urinary stones stuck in the ureter. As the muscles tried to push the urinary stones towards the bladder, spasmodic pain. Sweats are also typical complaints. In addition, the stones prevent the urine can properly drain, and occasionally blood in the urine.
The Doctors give the 50-Year-old a painkiller and organize boxes an outpatient appointment with a radio. Then, you send him home.
Back!
late in The afternoon, the Patient is in the emergency room, his pain is now extreme. In the case of a re-blood test, the doctors encounter values increased lactate. You transfer your patient in a clinical treatment center, the direct x-ray images.
upon arrival, the man visibly bad, he is sweating excessively, his eyelids are on both sides. As the physician palpation of the abdomen, to tighten his muscles automatically. Such Tenderness speaks in a cave for a inflammation in the abdomen, the body tries to protect the area.
the heart and the breathing of the man to normal functioning, also re-blood tests, analysis of urine and liver function tests provide no further information. Only his body temperature is slightly elevated. In addition, the 50-Year-old has an extremely high blood pressure (210/128).
In an interview with the Doctors, the man once again points to his experience from the day before. While Walking through high Grass, he suddenly had the feeling that he was bitten by an insect or a spider. What was initially only a minor Annoyance, developed within a period of two hours to excruciating pain in the area of the bite. Sleep of the man, nevertheless could, on the Morning of the abdominal pain followed.
The Doctors can discover no trace of a bite, nor a rash. The complaints of the man worsen but. The 50-Year-old over in severe pain, in the meantime, the legs and in the soles of the feet bundle Annen.
the CT images and hold The black attacker
the Doctors in the hands, you will only see a massively distended bladder. Kidney stones, the man has no. A Liter of urine flows out than you put the man in a catheter. Since her Patient seems to be suffering from neither infection nor inflammation or other organic cause, Doctors use a poisoning in the recital – perhaps by the insect or a spider? Ask a toxicologist in order to help solving the puzzles actually.
The sweating of the 50-Year-old, of high blood pressure, the pain and the other symptoms fit perfectly with the venom of a rare, but very feared resident of his home country: the Black widow. The spiders occur in Canada only in the warmest regions close to the U.S. border, it could spread but as a result of climate change, write the physicians.
Black widow (Latrodectus Hesperus)
their infamous reputation as the Black widows, especially their reproductive thanks. After mating, the much larger female of the legend, kill the much smaller, harmless males. In reality, this happens only rarely.
Also in humans, an encounter with the Black widow ends only extremely rarely fatal, but sometimes very painful. Their venom causes the nerves offered large quantities of substances are set free, the consequences include high blood pressure, and severe muscle pain.
most of those Affected recover within 72 hours. In particularly severe cases, Doctors can also use the antidote Antivenin. This mountain, however, the risk for serious side effects such as allergic reactions, the authors.
Black widow – also in Germany
showed up At the 50-Year-old, the Doctors dispense Antivenin, instead, they prescribe infusions for his fluid balance and opioids for the pain. He also receives a medication that lowers his blood pressure. On the second day after arrival in the emergency room, the pain have significantly improved. The man can urinate.
To ensure that you have really missed nothing, clarify the physician once all the possible causes of the complaints: A malignant enlargement of the prostate? A pathologically changed thyroid gland? A Toxicological syndrome? None of this is true, the bite remains the diagnosis. Two days after his arrival, the man can leave the hospital again.
Worldwide there are about 30 species of the Black widow, is also present in Europe – especially in regions around the Mediterranean sea. In Germany, the animals were introduced so far only in isolated cases, such as that for fruit deliveries.
