Usually, the treatment prescribed for patients with spider bites is serotherapy, which consists of injecting the person with antibodies that fight toxic agents. In addition, medications and ointments that provide relief from common symptoms of the condition (redness, swelling, blisters, nausea, nausea, fever ) may be indicated .
It is very important to go to the hospital even if there is no characteristic symptom, because the longer the waiting time, the longer the spider venom will act on the organism.
Common types of spider bite: symptoms The brown spider is one of the best known and is present mainly in the region of the country. In general, spider bites can cause symptoms that are considered mild (swelling, redness, blisters), moderate (pain and fever) and intense (severe pain, elevated heart rate, drop in blood pressure, shortness of breath).
What will define the degree of intensity that these symptoms will present, is the species that made the sting and the sensitivity of the person who suffered the action.
So, see what are the symptoms that usually appear according to the most popular species in Brazil:
Brown spider bite Common in the south and southeast of the country, the brown spider, as the name suggests, has a brown color, measures on average 4 cm (as an adult), has long, thin legs.
Usually, he likes to live in dry, hot and dark places, such as behind furniture (shelves, wardrobes, cabinets) and old objects (tiles, vases, boxes). So, little stirred places.
Your bite does not usually cause immediate symptoms, but during the first 24 hours it is common for the person to experience pain in the affected region, which gradually increases. Along with this, there are the appearance of blisters, swelling, itching and redness on the skin.
People with greater sensitivity may experience more severe reactions and more quickly to the bite of the brown spider, such as fever, fatigue , nausea and vomiting. However, once treatment is started, the symptoms usually go away over the course of days.
To treat the brown spider bite, when suspected, it is necessary to go to the nearest hospital to receive the appropriate treatment. An option that may be indicated by the doctor is the injection of antiaracnidic serum that will act to minimize the effects of the spider’s venom.
Armadeira spider bite The wandering spider inhabits virtually every corner of the country, so it is easy to find. Its size varies from 3.5 to 5 cm and its legs can reach 17 cm, with a hairy and brownish appearance.
In general, during the months of March and April, the incidence of spider bites is usually higher, especially in the southeast region, due to the fact that the spider is more active in the region.
It is common for people bitten by a spider spider to feel intense pain in the affected area, almost immediately after the action of the animal. Other recurring symptoms are swelling, redness and itching of the skin.
In addition, these symptoms may be accompanied by an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, causing agitation, excessive sweating in the body, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea .
The attitude to be taken when perceiving these reactions is to make a compress of warm water to relieve the pain and, then, go to the doctor (a) so that he / she will give analgesic injections in the skin so that the intense pain decreases with the pain. days pass.
If the patient has more worrying symptoms (changes in heart rate and blood pressure), it will also be necessary to undergo treatment with serum, to contain the venom of the spider spider.
Black widow spider bite The black widow spider is common in all regions of the country, especially the warmest ones, as it is almost always seen near empty and abandoned beaches.
This type of arachnid has different characteristics depending on sex, females for example measure 1 to 4 cm, differently from males that can have 3 to 6 mm.
Another variable is the color, which when it comes to females is black and has a red spot on the abdomen, unlike males, which are grayish and do not have the spot.
The bite of the black widow spider (male or female) is painful, as if there was a pin pricking the skin. Over time, about 15 minutes, the person who was bitten will start to feel a burning in the affected area, which usually worsens during the next 48 hours.
Other symptoms that may appear during this period are nausea, nausea, vomiting and pain in the muscles and joints, as well as fever and chills.
To treat the bite of the black widow spider, it is important to go to the emergency room as soon as possible so that the doctor applies a serum capable of preventing circulation and the damage that can be caused by the animal’s poison.
How to treat spider bite? Serotherapy is the most used treatment for spider bites. At first, as soon as the person identifies the bite of an arachnid, he must adopt some precautions such as cleaning the skin with water and neutral soap to prevent the presence of microorganisms, elevate the limb where the lesion is and make warm water compresses relieve pain and swelling.
It is worth mentioning that no changes should be made in the affected region, in an attempt to remove the poison, such as cuts, holes and suction, as these actions can aggravate the situation.
In relation to medical treatment for people who have suffered a spider bite, serotherapy is indicated, that is, the patient receives a serum that contains antibodies that are effective in combating the toxic substance (poison) that is circulating in your body. In this way, it is possible to avoid further damage.
Ointments for spider bite Normally, the ointments indicated by a doctor to treat spider bites are those that have components in their formulation capable of relieving the most common symptoms such as redness, itching, scarring of the skin, swelling, inflammation and also to prevent bacteria from accumulating in the hurt and do even more damage.
Therefore, the ointments that can be prescribed are:
Fenergan – (antiallergic); Minancora – (antiseptic, healing and astringent); Cortigen – (anti-inflammatory, anti- allergic ); Polaramine – (antiallergic); Andantol – (anesthetic and antiallergic action). It is worth remembering that none of these ointments should be used without medical advice, as in some cases (allergic reaction to the active ingredient), they may even aggravate the symptoms.
Can you squeeze spider bites? No! It is extremely contraindicated to squeeze the region of the body in which the bite occurred Whether using a tourniquet / tourniquet (device that prevents blood flow) or any other object, since in addition to not blocking the circulation of the poison, squeezing the skin can trigger necrosis (cell death).
It is also not recommended to make holes and cuts in the place, in an attempt to drain or suck the poison, since this does not cause the expected effect.
In addition, applying ointments (without medical advice) and home remedies such as toothpaste, lemon, coffee powder, among other items on the skin, will not reduce the symptoms – it may even aggravate them. Therefore, it is only recommended to put a compress of lukewarm water over the bitten region.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages should also be avoided.
What to do in case of spider bite? The measures to be taken as soon as a spider’s bite is identified are:
Wash the affected area: to prevent organisms such as bacteria and fungi from proliferating in the wound, it is important to clean it with running water and soap (preferably neutral).Raising the limb : it is recommended to raise the sting area (leg, arm, hand, foot) so as not to cause severe edema (swelling).Warm water compress: to relieve pain and inflammation, a compress of warm water (between 29 o C and 37 o C) can be applied to the wound.Once these actions have been taken, it is most appropriate to seek medical attention as soon as possible and, if you can, take the spider with which the bite was carried. Thus, the spider species identification process will be more practical, and the indicated treatment will be more effective, avoiding further complications.
How do you know if the bite is poisonous? According to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), most of the 40,000 species of spiders in the world are poisonous, however, some are so small and fragile that they cannot even penetrate the skin to deposit their venom.
For this reason, the spiders that are almost always involved in the bite reports (in Brazil) are the brown spider, armadeira, black widow, tarantula and garden, which are large and, consequently, are able to bite the human being.
Therefore, when common symptoms of spider bite arise, such as severe pain, redness, itching, blistering scars on the skin, swelling, inflammation and even fever and shortness of breath, do not hesitate to seek a hospital, because if it is in reason of a bite, it is poisonous .
How to avoid spider bites? In general, to avoid spider bites it is necessary to clean environments, objects and clothes in which they normally like to live because they are dark, hot and abandoned.
To assist, the Ministry of Health established the main measures to be taken to avoid spider bites, which are as follows:
Maintain hygienic environments; Avoid having plants with dense foliage and keep the grass trimmed; Clean vacant lots near your home at least once a month; Shake and wash clothes before using it (especially if they are stored they have been stored for a long time); Do not put your hand in dark holes, rotten tree trunks or stones; Seal windows and spaces under doors; Combat the presence of insects that serve as food for spiders; Cover with thin screens of tanks, sinks. 
