Serum Sickness Causes Immune Response Inflammation, Joint Pain, Hives, Rash Itch
Serum sickness is an inflammatory immune response to certain antibiotics, injected proteins or antiserums.
This reaction is driven by proteins contained in these elixirs that are responded to as foreign. Health preservation has your immune system producing antibodies in defense.
Your immune system is designed to combat infectious disease or poisonous protein toxins via antibodies. Responding to the introduced proteins as harm causers creates health consequences of inflammation, joint pain, hives and rash itch.
Serum sickness is much like an allergic reaction but for a delay. Delay, as in inflammation, joint pain, hives and rash itch manifests itself a week or two afterwards. Whereas, an allergic reaction directly follows ingestion.
Antibiotics are commonly used on bacterial infections. Injected proteins may used to prevent transplant rejection or treat cancer, a certain lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis.
Antiserum is a preparation of serum comes from an individual or animal that has immunity to a particular toxin or microorganism. It provides immediate and temporary protection until your own immunity shores up.
Instances for which these serum proteins may be injected include exposure to these potential infections or poisons:
- rabies
- tetanus
- botulism
- diphtheria
- gas gangrene
- snake, spider venom
Ofttimes, if you receive the cause of serum sicknes by injection, then your first symptom may be itchy redness at the site. Other symptoms caused by this response of immune system involve:
- rash
- fever
- hives
- itching
- nausea
- flushing
- myalgia
- diarrhea
- joint pain
- headache
- hypotension
- inflammation
- face swelling
- blurred vision
- arm, leg edema
- enlarged spleen
- swollen lymph nodes
- blood, protein in urine
- abdominal cramp pain
- blood vessel inflammation
Dyspnea, wheezing, cyanosis or anaphylactic shock may develop, albeit rarely.
The first treatment measure for serum sickness is stop the use of the drug, protein or antiserum. Next is to ease your symptoms. Your health care person may recommend some OTC drugs, such as:
- antihistamines ~ hives itch
- pain relieving NSAIDS ~ joint pain
- corticosteriod creams ~ rash itchiness
Oral corticosteroids, like prednisone, may be prescribed if your case is deemed severe.
If a drug, protein injection or antiserum causes serum sickness, then any future use will likely cause a similar immune response. Therefore, you must always inform any treating physician of this health episode.
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