Snow bite disease: Frostbite – Symptoms and causes

03.03.197618.10.2021 by alexxlab

Содержание

Causes, Symptoms, Stages, Treatment & Prevention

Overview

What is frostbite?

Frostbite is a potentially permanent condition that happens when your body tissues (like fingers, toes, ears) are injured by exposure to cold weather or cold water. You’re more likely to get frostbite during winter, in windy weather and at high altitudes. Even though your exposed skin gets frostbitten first, it can still happen even if your skin is covered.

How cold does it have to be to get frostbite and how long does it take?

Single-digit Fahrenheit temperatures are cold enough to cause frostbite. It’s important to remember that the colder it is outside, the faster you can get symptoms. In fact, you can get frostbitten in just half an hour or less when the wind chill is -15F (-26 C) or lower.

How is frostbite different from hypothermia?

Hypothermia happens when your body temperature drops below 95° F (35° C). Your normal body temperature is about 98. 6° F (37° C). Hypothermia is more serious and widespread in your body than frostbite, which affects specific parts of your exposed skin. Frostbite happens when part of your body freezes, damaging your skin cells and tissues. Just like ice coating your windshield, your skin becomes hard and white when frostbitten. You can get both hypothermia and frostbite at once, and both are medical emergencies.

Who is at risk for frostbite?

If you’ve got exposed skin in cold temperatures, you’re at risk of frostbite. You’re also at a higher risk of developing frostbite if you:

Take medicine for high blood pressure.
Have diabetes.
Smoke.
Have peripheral vascular disease, a serious condition involving blood vessels.
Have Raynaud’s phenomenon (Raynaud’s disease), a condition that involves periodic narrowing (or spasms) in the blood vessels.
Have poor circulation or dehydration.
Haven’t dressed appropriately for cold weather or high altitude (swimming, hiking or climbing).
Are an infant.
Are elderly.
Have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from protecting yourself against the cold (like fatigue, mental illness, heavy sweating).
Have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

What are the 3 stages of frostbite?

Frostbite begins with mild symptoms but quickly becomes a serious health risk the longer your skin freezes from exposure. There are three stages of frostbite, including:

Frostnip: During frostnip, if you notice symptoms at all, you may see that the affected skin is red or a pale white. The skin may also feel cold, numb or tingly. Frostnip is the warning stage when skin damage is still just temporary. So if you notice symptoms, get inside immediately and treat the area with warm (never hot) water. Afterward you may get small red bumps (chilblains) on your skin.
Superficial (surface) frostbite: In the second stage, your skin might feel warm, but the water in your skin is slowly freezing into ice crystals. Your skin may also sting or swell up. After rewarming, you might see mottled patches or purple or blue areas that hurt or burn (just like a bruise). Your red skin might start to peel and hurt just like a sunburn — and you need to seek immediate medical treatment. You may also get fluid-filled blisters in the area after a day or so.
Severe (deep) frostbite: In the third stage, your lower layers of skin (subcutaneous tissue) freeze and total numbness in the area sets in. You may be unable to move the area that’s frostbitten or you may not be able to move it normally. Get medical attention immediately. Big blisters will appear on the frostbitten skin a day or two afterward. Finally, the frostbitten skin turns black as its cells die from freezing. This black skin might form a hard black covering (carapace) that falls off on its own — otherwise it will usually need to be removed surgically.

If you notice any of the symptoms of the second or third stages of frostbite, get immediate medical treatment to help prevent long-lasting damage.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes frostbite?

Frostbite happens when your skin is exposed to cold temperatures or cold water. It can also happen when you’re exposed to temperatures that aren’t quite as cold, but you’re exposed for a longer period of time. Ice packs and cold metal can cause frostbite if they’re pressed directly against your skin. You can even get frostbite through clothing, including your fingers when you’re wearing gloves.

During frostbite, the water in your skin freezes, causing visible and invisible damage to your cells and soft tissues. Frostbite usually affects your extremities (fingers, toes and ears) first. But it’s just as easy to get frostbitten on your cheeks and chin. The cold can injure both your skin and the tissues underneath — like muscles, nerves and joints.

What are the symptoms of frostbite?

Frostbite becomes more severe as your skin temperature drops or the longer your skin stays exposed. Frostbite symptoms include:

Numbness.
A painful feeling of “pins and needles” in the exposed area.
Hardening of your skin that’s been uncovered skin too long in the cold.
Redness (for mild frostbite).
Pale or waxy color and feel (for more severe frostbite).
Swelling.
Blisters (clear or blood-filled) or scabs.
Loss of coordination (stiff movements, falling down).
Pain when rewarming the affected area.

What does frostbite feel like?

Frostbite is so dangerous because it often numbs your skin first, so you may not feel that anything’s wrong at all. You might feel pain in your skin that’s exposed to the cold. Or your skin might feel suddenly hard or soft. Severe frostbite often causes your skin to swell up, and you might also get uncomfortable blisters. You may start feeling feverish or suddenly clumsy.

What are the complications of frostbite?

When frostbite continues past the first stage (frostnip), it can have long-term or permanent side effects. You might feel symptoms of nerve damage (neuropathy), like always feeling numb, sweating heavily or being more sensitive to cold. You’re also more likely to get frostbitten again once it’s happened. Frostbite arthritis — stiffness usually found in the hands and feet — can settle in your joints months or even years later.

Your skin itself might change color, or your fingernails might be damaged or lost. If the skin has turned black, you’re also at risk of getting gangrene (a condition where the skin rots) or becoming infected. Knowing how severe and long-lasting frostbite is can help you take steps to prevent it.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is frostbite diagnosed?

There are no simple tests to tell how badly you’ve been frostbitten. Typically, your healthcare provider will diagnose frostbite by looking at the area, asking you about how long (and in what temperatures) you were out in the cold, and monitoring your symptoms over time. Depending on how severe your frostbite is, your provider may need to take an X-ray or use another imaging method.

During the physical exam, your provider will look to see if your skin turns white or red, gets blisters or turns black (the tissue dies). Clear blisters often mean the damage to your skin is temporary, but blood-filled blisters mean the damage is long-term. If your skin turns black but doesn’t shed, a surgeon will probably have to remove it to prevent gangrene.

Management and Treatment

How is frostbite treated?

Time is critical when you have frostbite. If you notice frostnip symptoms like pain or red fingers, get inside quickly and gently warm your skin. If you’re experiencing any symptoms from the second or third stages of frostbite, seek emergency medical help right away. Remove all wet clothing, wrap the affected area in a sterile (clean) cloth and then immediately go to the emergency room. Hospital staff will then:

Help raise your body temperature in lukewarm water or by applying warm, wet packs for up to half an hour.
Dress your frostbitten or wounded skin with sterile bandages, keeping your fingers and toes separated to avoid rubbing.
Test blood flow in the area. If you have stage three frostbite, your provider may also connect you to an IV bag (pouch with fluids) to improve poor circulation.
Give you antibiotics and pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil ®, Motrin ®), for example.
Possibly give you a tetanus booster, if needed, since frostbite puts you at higher risk for tetanus.
Rehydrate you by giving you water (frostbite dehydrates your tissues).
Give you oxygen therapy. For extreme frostbite, your provider may have you breathe pure oxygen inside a pressurized room. This treatment, called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, helps some people heal faster by increasing their blood-oxygen levels.

Never treat frostbite with anything hot to the touch. Avoid using space heaters, electric blankets, fireplaces or hot water.

Do I need surgery for frostbite?

In some cases, your provider may need to perform surgery to remove any dead skin and tissue after you heal (this may take days or even months). In the case of severe (deep) frostbite, surgeons may need to remove (amputate) the fingers or toes if the tissue has died or gangrene has developed.

How do you treat frostbite by yourself?

If you’re in a remote area or you’re unable to go to the hospital, your first priority is to make sure you’ll stay warm and not refreeze — as this can cause further skin damage. To warm back up, follow these steps:

Remove all wet clothing.
Elevate the injured area slightly.
Warm your skin by soaking the frostbitten area in warm water (around 105 F or 40.5 C). Since the skin may be numb, be careful not to burn it with hot water. Burning could cause more damage to the tissue. When your skin feels soft again, you can stop warming it.
Cover the frostbitten area with sterile (clean) cloth. If your fingers or toes are frostbitten, wrap each one individually. Make sure you keep them separated to avoid stress or pressure.
Try not to move the area at all. Avoid walking on frostbitten toes or feet.
Don’t rub frostbitten areas because rubbing skin that’s hard or numb can cause tissue damage.

Can you have frostbite and not know it?

Many people who get frostbite are completely unaware that they have it. Because frostbite numbs your nerves and can cause damage deep inside your skin, you might not notice any symptoms after coming in from the cold. Stay safe by going inside and warming back up.

What if my child has frostbite?

You might not know if your child has frostbite. Infants don’t shiver like adults because they don’t have as much energy stored up. And older children are usually too busy having fun outside to notice they’re frostbitten.

If your baby or toddler has recently been outside in the cold for even 10 minutes, it’s time to check on them. If you notice parts of their skin are red, white or gray, immediately call 911. If your children are older and they’ve been outside too long without covering up completely, remove their wet clothing and dry them under blankets. Leave the affected areas uncovered but elevated. Use a tub full of warm — but not hot — water to help children of any age recover from the cold.

Prevention

How can you prevent frostbite?

Stay safe and take simple precautions to help prevent frostbite and its symptoms.

Avoid going outside: When it’s cold out, try to stay indoors.
Limit your trips: If you do have to go outside, try to limit it to 10 or 15 minutes before going back inside for a few hours.
Dress warmly before going out: Dress appropriately whenever you know you’re going to be in cold temperatures. Layer your clothing, wear two pairs of socks, a thick hat, mittens (never gloves — gloves don’t keep your fingers together to warm them) — and a heavy scarf over your face and mouth. Keep your ears covered since they’re so easily frostbitten.
Wear windproof and waterproof clothing: Wear clothes designed to keep the weather out and to keep your head and neck area warm.
Don’t cut off your circulation: Make sure your boots and clothes aren’t too tight. This can cause poor circulation. Avoid cramped positions and stay moving to keep a good blood flow.

When traveling in cold weather, always bring your phone with you. It’s your lifeline to medical help if you have an accident or get stuck on the road. Finally, pack a car emergency kit in your vehicle. That way you’re prepared with first aid, food and water, gloves, boots and blankets whenever the weather turns bad.

Can animals get frostbite?

Remember you’re not the only one who can get frostbite — your pets can too. Be sure to keep them warm inside when cold weather’s on its way. Don’t wait until it’s already snowing to let dogs back in or to stable your horses.

Outlook / Prognosis

How long does it take to recover from frostbite?

Recovery and treatment depend on which stage of frostbite you were in, and how long you were in it. The first stage’s symptoms are often just temporary. However, the second and third stages usually cause permanent skin and tissue damage. If your exposure was very serious, you may lose the affected limb, finger or toe to autoamputation (where your limb or finger or toe falls off on its own) or surgical amputation.

If you suffer mild to moderate frostbite, you may become sensitive to cold and pain — and you may also have ongoing numbness. And if you suffer severe or “deep” frostbite, you might also have:

Damage to your tendons, muscles, nerves and bones.
Arthritis, bone deformities, scars and skin and nail changes or weakness.
Gangrene (blackened, dead tissue).

What can I do to help my skin heal from frostbite?

Help your skin heal by staying warm inside. Once you’ve been frostbitten, the worst thing you can do is to go back outside that day, even after you’ve warmed back up. Keep your injured skin elevated and don’t walk on your feet or toes if they hurt. Replace your tight socks with loose-fitting ones to reduce swelling. Anti-inflammatory medications and pain relievers can help if you feel any swelling or burning pain. Applying soft lotion can help you relieve frostnip symptoms.

Note From Cleveland Clinic:

Stay safe inside or make sure everyone dresses warm whenever cold weather’s about to roll in. Not only will you feel more comfortable, you’ll also help protect yourself and your loved ones against frostbite and all the serious health risks that go along with it. If you’ve been exposed to the cold for more than half an hour in extremely cold conditions and think you may have frostbite, be sure to seek immediate medical attention.

Causes, Symptoms, Stages, Treatment & Prevention

Overview

What is frostbite?

How cold does it have to be to get frostbite and how long does it take?

How is frostbite different from hypothermia?

Hypothermia happens when your body temperature drops below 95° F (35° C). Your normal body temperature is about 98.6° F (37° C). Hypothermia is more serious and widespread in your body than frostbite, which affects specific parts of your exposed skin. Frostbite happens when part of your body freezes, damaging your skin cells and tissues. Just like ice coating your windshield, your skin becomes hard and white when frostbitten. You can get both hypothermia and frostbite at once, and both are medical emergencies.

Who is at risk for frostbite?

If you’ve got exposed skin in cold temperatures, you’re at risk of frostbite. You’re also at a higher risk of developing frostbite if you:

Take medicine for high blood pressure.
Have diabetes.
Smoke.
Have peripheral vascular disease, a serious condition involving blood vessels.
Have Raynaud’s phenomenon (Raynaud’s disease), a condition that involves periodic narrowing (or spasms) in the blood vessels.
Have poor circulation or dehydration.
Haven’t dressed appropriately for cold weather or high altitude (swimming, hiking or climbing).
Are an infant.
Are elderly.
Have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from protecting yourself against the cold (like fatigue, mental illness, heavy sweating).
Have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs.

What are the 3 stages of frostbite?

Frostbite begins with mild symptoms but quickly becomes a serious health risk the longer your skin freezes from exposure. There are three stages of frostbite, including:

Frostnip: During frostnip, if you notice symptoms at all, you may see that the affected skin is red or a pale white. The skin may also feel cold, numb or tingly. Frostnip is the warning stage when skin damage is still just temporary. So if you notice symptoms, get inside immediately and treat the area with warm (never hot) water. Afterward you may get small red bumps (chilblains) on your skin.
Superficial (surface) frostbite: In the second stage, your skin might feel warm, but the water in your skin is slowly freezing into ice crystals. Your skin may also sting or swell up. After rewarming, you might see mottled patches or purple or blue areas that hurt or burn (just like a bruise). Your red skin might start to peel and hurt just like a sunburn — and you need to seek immediate medical treatment. You may also get fluid-filled blisters in the area after a day or so.
Severe (deep) frostbite: In the third stage, your lower layers of skin (subcutaneous tissue) freeze and total numbness in the area sets in. You may be unable to move the area that’s frostbitten or you may not be able to move it normally. Get medical attention immediately. Big blisters will appear on the frostbitten skin a day or two afterward. Finally, the frostbitten skin turns black as its cells die from freezing. This black skin might form a hard black covering (carapace) that falls off on its own — otherwise it will usually need to be removed surgically.

If you notice any of the symptoms of the second or third stages of frostbite, get immediate medical treatment to help prevent long-lasting damage.

Symptoms and Causes

What causes frostbite?

What are the symptoms of frostbite?

Frostbite becomes more severe as your skin temperature drops or the longer your skin stays exposed. Frostbite symptoms include:

Numbness.
A painful feeling of “pins and needles” in the exposed area.
Hardening of your skin that’s been uncovered skin too long in the cold.
Redness (for mild frostbite).
Pale or waxy color and feel (for more severe frostbite).
Swelling.
Blisters (clear or blood-filled) or scabs.
Loss of coordination (stiff movements, falling down).
Pain when rewarming the affected area.

What does frostbite feel like?

What are the complications of frostbite?

Diagnosis and Tests

How is frostbite diagnosed?

Management and Treatment

How is frostbite treated?

Help raise your body temperature in lukewarm water or by applying warm, wet packs for up to half an hour.
Dress your frostbitten or wounded skin with sterile bandages, keeping your fingers and toes separated to avoid rubbing.
Test blood flow in the area. If you have stage three frostbite, your provider may also connect you to an IV bag (pouch with fluids) to improve poor circulation.
Give you antibiotics and pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil ®, Motrin ®), for example.
Possibly give you a tetanus booster, if needed, since frostbite puts you at higher risk for tetanus.
Rehydrate you by giving you water (frostbite dehydrates your tissues).
Give you oxygen therapy. For extreme frostbite, your provider may have you breathe pure oxygen inside a pressurized room. This treatment, called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, helps some people heal faster by increasing their blood-oxygen levels.

Never treat frostbite with anything hot to the touch. Avoid using space heaters, electric blankets, fireplaces or hot water.

Do I need surgery for frostbite?

How do you treat frostbite by yourself?

Remove all wet clothing.
Elevate the injured area slightly.
Warm your skin by soaking the frostbitten area in warm water (around 105 F or 40.5 C). Since the skin may be numb, be careful not to burn it with hot water. Burning could cause more damage to the tissue. When your skin feels soft again, you can stop warming it.
Cover the frostbitten area with sterile (clean) cloth. If your fingers or toes are frostbitten, wrap each one individually. Make sure you keep them separated to avoid stress or pressure.
Try not to move the area at all. Avoid walking on frostbitten toes or feet.
Don’t rub frostbitten areas because rubbing skin that’s hard or numb can cause tissue damage.

Can you have frostbite and not know it?

What if my child has frostbite?

Prevention

How can you prevent frostbite?

Stay safe and take simple precautions to help prevent frostbite and its symptoms.

Avoid going outside: When it’s cold out, try to stay indoors.
Limit your trips: If you do have to go outside, try to limit it to 10 or 15 minutes before going back inside for a few hours.
Dress warmly before going out: Dress appropriately whenever you know you’re going to be in cold temperatures. Layer your clothing, wear two pairs of socks, a thick hat, mittens (never gloves — gloves don’t keep your fingers together to warm them) — and a heavy scarf over your face and mouth. Keep your ears covered since they’re so easily frostbitten.
Wear windproof and waterproof clothing: Wear clothes designed to keep the weather out and to keep your head and neck area warm.
Don’t cut off your circulation: Make sure your boots and clothes aren’t too tight. This can cause poor circulation. Avoid cramped positions and stay moving to keep a good blood flow.

Can animals get frostbite?

Outlook / Prognosis

How long does it take to recover from frostbite?

If you suffer mild to moderate frostbite, you may become sensitive to cold and pain — and you may also have ongoing numbness. And if you suffer severe or “deep” frostbite, you might also have:

Damage to your tendons, muscles, nerves and bones.
Arthritis, bone deformities, scars and skin and nail changes or weakness.
Gangrene (blackened, dead tissue).

What can I do to help my skin heal from frostbite?

Note From Cleveland Clinic:

How to Spot It, Treat It and Prevent It

What Is Frostbite?

Frostbite is when exposure to freezing temperatures damages areas of your skin and the tissues underneath. It’s a treatable but potentially serious condition.

What Are the Symptoms?

When it’s cold out, skin that’s not covered may get red or sore. This is called frostnip, and it’s an early warning sign of frostbite. If this happens, find warm shelter quickly.

Symptoms of frostbite depend on how deep it goes into the body. There are three stages. Early frostbite affects the top layers of the skin. More advanced cases can go all the way to the muscles and bones.

Early stage

Skin turns a pale yellow or white
It may itch, sting, burn, or feel like “pins and needles.”

Intermediate stage

Skin becomes hard
It looks shiny or waxy
When the skin thaws, blisters filled with fluid or blood form

Advanced stage

Skin is very hard and cold to the touch
Skin darkens quickly. It may look blue and later turn black

Some people don’t know they have frostbite because as it gets worse, you can’t feel the area anymore. That’s why you need to look for changes in skin color.

Frostbite Emergency Symptoms

Go to the emergency room right away if you suspect frostbite. Some warning signs may include:

Your skin color changes color or becomes hard.
Your skin stays numb (you can’t feel anything).
You have severe pain as your skin thaws.
Skin blisters start.

Frostbite Causes

Just like water turns to ice when the temperature drops, your fingers, hands, toes, feet — even your nose and ears — can freeze if exposed to extremely cold weather or you touch something very cold, like ice or frozen metal. Being farther away from your core, these are the first areas affected by decreased blood flow in response to cold.

You’re more likely to get frostbite if you don’t dress properly for cold, windy, or wet weather, or you wear clothes that are too tight in those conditions.

How soon frostbite happens depends on how cold and windy it is outside. It can happen faster than you may think. In frigid weather it’s possible for frostbite to happen in just 5 minutes.

Frostbite Diagnosis

There’s no specific test for frostbite. Your doctor will ask how long you were out in the cold and what the temperature was. They’ll look closely at your skin and may recommend an X-ray or another kind of scan to see if there’s any serious damage to bone or muscle.

Frostbite Treatment

Frostbite home care

First, get to a warm place. Don’t rub your skin. That can damage it if it’s frozen.

Don’t place cold hands or feet in a tub of hot water. If your skin is numb, you may not be able to feel if the water is too hot. That could cause further damage. Instead, soak the affected hands and feet in warm water (104 F to 107 F), or place a washcloth with warm water on the affected areas that can’t be submerged, like nose and ears, for at least 30 minutes.

Your skin should start to heal quickly. As it thaws, it may get red. You may also feel painful stinging or prickling sensations, like “pins and needles.”

Frostbite hospital care

At the hospital, the staff will try to warm you up, restore blood flow to the affected area, and stop further damage. You may:

Have warm sponges placed on your nose, ears, or other frozen body areas
Be given pain medicine for nerve pain that may flare as your skin warms up
Get imaging tests, like an MRI, to see how many layers of skin are damaged
Have skin that is dead scraped off

Some studies suggest that aspirin or other blood thinner meds may help restore blood flow in body parts with severe frostbite if your doctor gives you them within 24 hours of rewarming. A treatment called hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which you get 100% oxygen in a controlled setting, is also being studied as a possible treatment. So far, the results are mixed.

In extreme cases — like if you have blackened skin tissue and blood flow won’t come back — you may need surgery to remove that area. This is to stop it from becoming infected and causing more damage.

Frostbite Prevention

These cold-weather clothing tips can help:

Layer your clothing, loosely. Tight clothing raises your risk of frostbite. Instead, choose loose layers that allow body heat to get around.

You want three layers:

The first should be of a material that helps keep you dry.
The second goes over the first and should be made of an insulator like wool or fleece.
The third should be worn on top and should be windproof and waterproof.

Make sure your hat covers your head and ears. Get yourself a wool or fleece one with ear flaps. This will keep your ears warm and protected.

Choose insulating mittens or gloves. Don’t take them off to use your smartphone. If texting is a must, look for a pair with textured fingertips that allow you to swipe.

Don’t skimp on socks or shoes. Feet are very vulnerable to frostbite. Layer a pair of wool socks over some that resist moisture. Wear warm, waterproof boots that cover your ankles.

If you sweat, unzip at least for a few minutes. Wet clothing — either from snow or sweating — makes you more likely to get frostbite. Make sure snow can’t sneak inside your winter outfits.

Frostbite – NHS

Frostbite is damage to skin and tissue caused by exposure to freezing temperatures – typically any temperature below -0.55C (31F).

Frostbite can affect any part of your body, but the extremities, such as the hands, feet, ears, nose and lips, are most likely to be affected.

The symptoms of frostbite usually begin with the affected parts feeling cold and painful.

If exposure to the cold continues, you may feel pins and needles before the area becomes numb as the tissues freeze.

When to get medical attention

If you think you or someone else may have frostbite, call your GP or NHS 111 for advice.

If the symptoms are more severe or there are signs of hypothermia, such as constant shivering or fast breathing (hyperventilation), go immediately to your nearest A&E.

A doctor will examine the affected area, check your vital signs, and ask how you got frostbite.

You may need a follow-up appointment or referral to a specialist, as the full extent of a frostbite injury often isn’t apparent until a few days later.

Treating frostbite

A person with frostbite should be taken to a warm environment as soon as possible. This is to limit the effects of the injury and because it’s also likely they’ll have hypothermia. Don’t put pressure on the affected area.

The frostbitten area should be warmed up by a healthcare professional. This is usually done by immersing the affected area in warm – but not hot – water.

A bath of water at 37C to 39C (98.6F to 102.2F) is recommended for rewarming. The rewarming process is often painful, and regular strong painkillers may be needed.

It’s important not to rewarm the affected area if there’s a chance of it freezing again, as this can lead to further tissue damage.

If frostbite is severe, the loss of blood supply to the tissue may cause it to die (gangrene). A type of surgery called debridement may be needed to remove the dead tissue. Amputation may be needed if frostbite is severe.

What causes frostbite?

The body responds to cold temperatures by narrowing the blood vessels. Blood flow to the extremities slows down so flow to the vital organs can be increased.

As the blood is redirected away from the extremities, these parts of the body get colder, and fluid in the tissue can freeze into ice crystals.

The ice crystals can cause severe cell and tissue damage in the affected area. The low blood flow also deprives the tissues of oxygen. If blood flow can’t be restored, the tissue will eventually die.

At-risk groups

Certain groups of people are at greater risk of getting frostbite.

They include:

people who take part in winter and high-altitude sports, such as mountaineers and skiers
anyone stranded in extreme cold weather conditions
anyone who works outdoors in harsh conditions for long periods of time, such as soldiers, sailors and rescue workers
homeless people
the very young and very old, as their bodies are less able to regulate body temperature
people with conditions that cause blood vessel damage or circulation problems, such as diabetes and Raynaud’s phenomenon
anyone taking medicine that constricts the blood vessels, including beta blockers – smoking can also constrict the blood vessels

People who’ve taken drugs or drunk alcohol are also vulnerable to frostbite. Taking drugs or being drunk can lead to risky behaviour, not responding normally to cold, or falling asleep outside in cold weather.

As you’d expect, cases of frostbite in England often rise during particularly cold winters. For example, during the very cold winter of 2010-11, there were 111 hospital admissions for frostbite. In most years, there are around 30 to 60 cases every winter.

Preventing frostbite

Most of the time frostbite can be prevented by taking precautions during cold weather.

Avoid unnecessary exposure to cold temperatures. The combination of wind and cold temperatures (wind chill) can also cause a rapid drop in temperature, so avoid going out when it’s cold and windy, if possible.

It’s also important to know what the early symptoms of frostbite are, particularly the tingling sensation of frostnip.

Wear appropriate clothing that protects your extremities, such as:

well-insulated boots and a thick pair of well-fitting socks
mittens – they provide better protection against very cold weather than gloves
a warm, weatherproof hat that covers your ears – it’s important to protect your head from the cold
multiple thin layers of warm, loose-fitting clothing – these act as insulation

You should also try to keep dry and remove any wet clothing as soon as you can.

If you’re travelling during cold weather, plan for emergencies. For example, if you’re driving in icy conditions, make sure you keep a warm blanket and some spare clothes in the boot of your car in case you break down.

If you’re travelling by foot, always let others know where you’re going and what time you’ll be back. Take a fully charged mobile phone with you so you can call for help if you have an accident, such as a fall.

Be careful when drinking alcohol during very cold weather. Drinking too much increases your risk of falling asleep in the cold, a common cause of frostbite. Alcohol also causes you to lose heat at a faster rate.

Smoking also makes you more vulnerable to the effects of the cold because nicotine can narrow your blood vessels.

Complications of frostbite

If some of your tissue dies, the dead tissue will no longer have a blood supply. This can make the affected body part very vulnerable to infection because your body relies on white blood cells to ward off infections.

People with frostbite are at risk of bacterial wound infections, such as tetanus. More seriously, this infection can spread into the blood (sepsis), which requires treatment with antibiotics. Both conditions require hospital admission.

Read more about treating tetanus and treating sepsis.

Hypothermia

Severe frostbite is often associated with hypothermia, which is a dangerous drop in body temperature below 35C (95F).

Initial symptoms can include:

constant shivering
tiredness
low energy
cold or pale skin
fast breathing (hyperventilation)

Someone with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and have shallow breathing and a weak pulse.

Read more about how hypothermia is treated.

Page last reviewed: 24 August 2021
Next review due: 24 August 2024

What is Frostbite? Frostbite symptoms and frostbite treatment.

What is frostbite?

Frostbite is an injury that is caused by exposure of parts of your body to temperatures below freezing point. The cold causes freezing of your skin and underlying tissues. The fingers, toes and feet are most commonly affected but other extremities, including the nose, ears and cheeks, can also develop frostbite.

In the past, frostbite injuries were common in military personnel. However, with the increase in technology and accessibility, recreational sports have become a significant cause of frostbite cases. Homeless people, children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to frostbite.

Risk factors include lack of clothing, alcohol consumption, and access to shelter. Dehydration, high altitudes and other conditions that have low oxygen levels are also a risk. These include diabetes, peripheral arterial disease and Raynaud’s disease.

What causes frostbite?

Usually your blood carries oxygen to all parts of your body so that your body tissues are kept healthy. As a protective response, when your body is exposed to extreme cold, blood vessels narrow (constrict) so that blood (and oxygen) are diverted away from your extremities to your vital organs to keep your body alive. After some time, this lack of blood supply and oxygen to the skin can start to cause damage to the cells.

In areas of the body affected by frostbite, ice crystals form and cells and blood vessels become damaged. Blood clots can also form in small blood vessels which further reduces the chance of blood and oxygen getting to the affected tissues.

The chance of frostbite is increased the longer that you are exposed to the cold temperatures. If the cold temperatures are accompanied by wind (producing wind chill which brings the temperature down further) or high altitude there is a greater risk. Generally, frostbite is worst in lower temperatures.

How common is frostbite and who gets it?

Frostbite is uncommon in the UK. Frostbite most commonly affects the following groups of people:

Soldiers.
People who work outdoors in the cold.
Homeless people.
Winter outdoor sports enthusiasts such as skiers and climbers.

However, it can affect anyone who is exposed to low temperatures (below freezing) – in particular, those who wear inadequate clothing.

If you have underlying health problems such as narrowing of the arteries, mainly occurring in the legs (peripheral arterial disease) or diabetes, you have an increased risk of developing frostbite.

If you take certain medicines that narrow (constrict) your blood vessels, your risk is increased. Beta-blockers are a good example of this.

You are more at risk of developing frostbite if you smoke, as the chemicals in cigarettes can cause your blood vessels to constrict.

You are more at risk of developing frostbite if you have had alcohol or recreational drugs which make you drowsy or behave differently to usual. This is because you may be less aware of how cold you are and less aware that you are in danger. You are then less likely to get out of the cold, or protect yourself from it.

People who have Raynaud’s phenomenon (a condition where the small blood vessels of the fingers constrict) also have an increased risk of developing frostbite.

The different degrees of frostbite

Frostbite injuries are classified by the degree of injury. The degree of frostbite basically refers to how deep the frostbite goes. Your skin has two layers – the outer layer (epidermis) and the dermis. The dermis sits just under the epidermis. Beneath the dermis is a layer of fat, and then the deeper structures such as muscles and tendons.

First-degree frostbite just affects the epidermis.
Second-degree frostbite may affect the epidermis and part of the dermis.
Third-degree frostbite affects the epidermis, the dermis and the fatty tissue beneath the dermis.
Fourth-degree frostbite affects the full thickness of the skin, the tissues that lie underneath the skin, and also deeper structures such as muscles, tendons and bone.

Frostbite can be described using these four levels but it may simply be described as superficial frostbite or deep frostbite. Superficial frostbite corresponds to first-degree or second-degree frostbite. Deep frostbite corresponds to third-degree or fourth-degree frostbite.

These are important because superficial frostbite means there is likely to be very little or no tissue loss. Deep frostbite suggests there will be greater tissue loss.

What are the symptoms of frostbite?

Frostbite can cause feelings of cold and firmness in the affected area, such as the fingers or toes. Stinging, burning and numbness can also occur. You may experience pain, throbbing, burning or an electric current-like sensation when the affected area is re-warmed.

In first-degree frostbite, the affected area of skin usually becomes white and feels numb. Sometimes the skin is red. It may also feel hard or stiff. If it is treated quickly, the skin usually recovers fully.

In second-degree frostbite, the affected skin is often red, or may become blue. It feels frozen and hard. There is also usually quite a lot of swelling of the affected area. Blisters filled with a clear or milky fluid appear on the skin.

In third-degree frostbite, skin can be white or blue or blotchy. Blisters also develop and can be filled with blood. Over some weeks, black thick scabs form. The skin feels hard and cold.

In fourth-degree frostbite, there is damage to the full thickness of the skin and also the underlying tissues such as muscle, tendons and bone. The skin is initially deep red and mottled and then becomes black.

The appearance varies depending on how severe a degree of frostbite is present, and on how much of the body has been affected.

How is frostbite diagnosed?

Frostbite is usually diagnosed by the typical symptoms in someone who has been exposed to extreme, cold weather. Frostbite can happen very quickly so you need to be aware of the symptoms and signs. If you are aware of the early symptoms of frostbite, and shelter from the cold, you can prevent more severe symptoms and the possibility of permanent damage.

Special scans are sometimes used to assess the degree of frostbite and to determine how much tissue is damaged.

What is the initial treatment for frostbite?

First aid treatment

Some basic first aid for frostbite injuries includes:

You must get shelter from the cold.
Change wet clothing for dry clothing. This reduces the chance of further heat loss from your body.
Let the area air dry – don’t rub the affected area, as this can cause further tissue damage.
Remove any jewellery, such as rings on fingers, or other material that could tighten around the area.
If a hand or a foot is affected by frostbite, wrap it in a blanket for protection.
If possible, avoid walking on frostbitten feet, as fractures can occur as well as chipping of the affected tissue.
Protect from any possible re-freezing.
Try to ensure the person is rehydrated. Rehydration means making sure a person takes in enough water to make up for lack of water in the body (dehydration). Warm drinks should be used where possible.
Treat hypothermia and any other injuries.

Re-warming treatment

The aim is to start this as soon as possible. However, if there is a chance that the affected area could re-freeze then it is safer to keep it frozen until safe. Most frostbite will slowly thaw without any special measures and it should be allowed to do so. There should be no deliberate attempt to keep areas frozen.

If someone has been in the mountains and has developed frostbite, they may have other life-threatening problems that need to be treated first. Rapid re-warming can be done using heated water which should be kept at 37-39°C. This could take 30 minutes. The affected area should not be massaged, as this can cause further injury.

Re-warming is usually repeated twice a day. It is important to keep your skin warm and dry in between treatments.

Treatment with medicines and in hospital

Painkillers are usually needed to treat pain. Re-warming can be very painful so anti-inflammatory painkillers are also given and stronger medication such as morphine may be needed. Some other medicines are also used in some cases. Sometimes ‘clot-busting’ medicines (thrombolytics) may be used in cases of deep frostbite to try to improve the blood supply to the affected area.

It is important that you are up to date with your tetanus vaccine. It is often common to be given antibiotic medicines if there is any sign of infection developing in your frostbite.

You may be given fluids via a drip to make sure you have enough fluid in your body (you are completely rehydrated). A surgeon will usually be involved early in care and careful drainage of some clear blisters (not blood-filled) may be needed at first.

What happens next with frostbite?

When a body part with frostbite is thawed out, the skin turns red, may blister and can be very painful. It can also become swollen. Eventually, dead, blackened tissue that forms scabs can develop. The images below show that change.

Frostbite: mountain climber’s initial injury

Frostbite: climber’s toes 12 days later

Frostbite: climber’s toes after three weeks

Images above: by Dr. S. Falz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If frostbite is superficial, over time new pink skin will form underneath the scabs. It can take up to six months for the area to recover. There can be full recovery but some people have permanent problems, including pain, numbness and stiffness in the affected area.

However, if frostbite is deep, tissue damage can be permanent and tissue loss can occur. For example, the end of a finger or toe can gradually separate off. Sometimes surgery is needed to remove dead tissue. Surgical removal (amputation) of, for example, fingers or toes may be needed. However, surgery will usually be delayed for as long as possible (usually 6-8 weeks). This gives affected tissues a chance to recover and for the full extent of the injury to be seen.

Can frostbite be prevented?

The most important way of preventing frostbite is to get out of the cold. If you are exposed to the cold, make sure that you wear appropriate warm clothing. Mittens are better than gloves. Your head, neck and face need to be covered if it is windy. Wear waterproof clothing so that your body is kept dry. Multiple layers of clothing are best. Layers act as extra insulation by trapping air that warms to your body’s temperature. A warm pair of boots is also needed. You need to increase your fluid and calorie intake in cold weather.

Frostbite and Frostnip (for Parents)

What Is Frostbite?

Frostbite is a skin injury caused by freezing temperatures. Sometimes it also injures deeper tissue. Serious frostbite can go all the way down to the muscles and bones.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Frostbite?

Children with frostbite get white, waxy skin that feels numb and hard.

Anyone can get frostbite, but kids are at greater risk for it than adults because:

Kids lose heat from their skin faster.
Kids often don’t want to leave their winter fun to go inside and warm up.

How Is Frostbite Treated?

Call the doctor right away or take your child to a hospital emergency room.
If the feet are affected, carry your child. Do not let your child walk on frostbitten feet.
Get your child into dry clothing in a warm environment.

If you can’t get to a hospital right away or must wait for an ambulance, give your child a warm drink and begin first-aid treatment:

Do not thaw the frostbitten area if it’s at risk for refreezing before you get to a health care provider. Skin that is thawed then refrozen again can cause severe tissue damage.
Put frozen areas in warm water (around 100°F [38°C]). If warm water is not available, wrap your child gently in warm blankets or use your body heat on the affected area.
Do not use direct heat such as a fire or heating pad. The skin may be numb and can burn easily.
Do not rub frostbitten skin or rub snow on it.
Rewarming will bring on a burning sensation. Skin may blister and swell and may turn red, blue, or purple. When skin is pink and no longer numb, the area is thawed.
If you have sterile dressings, put them on the area (be sure it’s not too tight), placing it between fingers and toes if they are affected. Try not to disturb any blisters and keep the wound areas clean to prevent infection.
Wrap rewarmed areas to prevent refreezing, and have your child keep thawed areas as still as possible. If you have the proper first-aid training, splinting the affected area can help reduce the risk of further injury.

Can Frostbite Be Prevented?

To help prevent frostbite in cold weather:

Stay updated on weather forecasts. If it’s extremely cold, even brief exposure to cold can cause frostbite.
Dress kids in layered warm clothes. Use hats, gloves, scarves, thick socks, and well-insulated boots to cover body parts that are most at risk for frostbite. Inner clothing layers that absorb moisture and outer layers that are windproof and waterproof are best.
Make sure kids come indoors regularly to warm up.
Change kids out of wet clothing or shoes as soon as possible.
If you travel to a remote area, make sure you have proper supplies in case of emergencies and let family or friends know your travel plans.
Take a first-aid and CPR class to learn what to do in an emergency.

What Is Frostnip?

Frostnip is a milder form of cold injury. It usually affects areas of skin exposed to the cold, such as the cheeks, nose, ears, fingers, and toes, leaving them red and numb or tingly. Frostnip can be treated at home and gets better with rewarming.

How Is Frostnip Treated?

Bring your child indoors right away. Then:

Remove all wet clothing. Wet clothes draw heat away from the body.
Place chilled parts of the body in warm (not hot) water for 20 to 30 minutes until all sensation returns. Don’t let your child control the water temperature during rewarming. Numb hands won’t feel the heat and can be severely burned by water that is too hot. You also can use your body heat to rewarm cold areas.
Don’t use heating pads, stoves, fireplaces, or radiators to rewarm because the affected skin can be numb and easily burn.

Call your doctor if sensation does not return or your child has signs of frostbite.

Symptoms, What to Do and Prevention

Frostbite is damage to the skin and underlying tissues caused by the cold. Rain, snow, water and wind can cause the skin to cool faster and may lead to frostbite. It occurs most often on small, exposed areas of the body such as the hands and fingers, feet and toes, and the ears, nose and cheeks. Children are affected more quickly than adults.

Signs of Frostbite

Early signs of frostbite include:

Skin that is paler than normal, cold, firm and dry.
Pain, tingling, burning or aching
Swelling
Blisters in the first 24 hours after exposure

If the frostbite is not treated, later signs include a dark, purple-black skin color, and no feeling or pain in the affected part of the body. If you think your child may have frostbite, he or she should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

What to Do

It is important to re-warm the area as soon as possible (Picture 1). Do not rub or massage the injured area. To re-warm:

Fill a sink or basin with warm (not hot) water – about 104 F. Test the water with your elbow if you do not have a thermometer. Do not test the water temperature with the affected hand or foot.
Keep the injured part in warm water for 30 minutes, or until the area turns pink.
Gently pat dry and keep the area warm, dry and clean.
Do not break blisters. Do not re-warm if there is a chance the area may refreeze.
To re-warm the face and ears, apply warm washcloths and replace as soon as they become cool.
Give your child warm liquids to drink.
Continue re-warming for 30 minutes. Watch carefully to see if your child can move the body part. If the area turns pink or if the child begins to feel tingling, you may stop the re-warming and have your child seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

Prevention

Dress your child warmly with layers of dry clothes. The first layer of clothing should be cotton because it absorbs moisture. Clothes should be changed if they become wet.
Children should wear leggings and waterproof boots, a hat, mittens or gloves and scarf that covers the face (Picture 2).
Teach your child not to touch cold metal with his tongue or bare skin.
In the future, the frostbitten area may become painful and more easily frostbitten when exposed to cold. Be sure to cover the area when your child goes out in cold weather.
Avoid long exposure to the cold (no more than 15 or 20 minutes), especially when it’s windy. Cold wind increases the risk of frostbite.

Care at Home

Keep the area clean. Apply cream or ointment as ordered by your doctor.
Change dressings as instructed by your doctor or nurse. (Refer to the Helping Hand, Dressing Change: Clean Wound, HH-II-19.)
Avoid exposing your child to hot or cold temperatures.
Be sure to keep all follow-up appointments with your doctor or clinic.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your child’s doctor or the clinic if you notice any of these signs of infection:

Fever over 101 F by mouth or 101.5 F rectally.
Redness of the area or red streaks coming from the area
Swelling
Thick drainage
Blisters develop in the frostbitten area.
Normal color feeling does not come back after one hour of warming.

If you have any questions, be sure to ask your doctor or nurse.

Frostbite (Frostnip) (PDF)

90,000 Answers to frequently asked questions (rabies)

1. And again we return to such a serious topic as rabies. Recently, bites of people have become more frequent, not only by dogs, but also by wolves and foxes. What should you look for if you are fishing or hunting?

– while on a hunt, if you find the corpse of an animal, in no case touch it, let alone remove the skin from it. Also, do not handle small animals such as (hedgehogs, ferrets, hamsters, etc.)they can be carriers of the virus.

2. How can you get rabies? Can this happen in everyday conditions, for example, if a person washes shoes, floors of the house, brings dirty things into the house from the street?

– the virus is excreted in saliva, but it is absent in the blood, urine, milk of sick animals. Accordingly, the natural spread of rabies in dogs is almost entirely dependent on the classic bite-wound chain of transmission. Alimentary and aerogenic routes of infection are in principle possible, but they have very little or no role at all.However, infection is also possible with salivation of damaged skin. The virus is found in the salivary glands of 54 – 90% of dogs killed by rabies. Virus shedding usually occurs after the onset of clinical manifestations of the disease, but since the very first signs are very difficult to notice, it takes several days between the beginning of virus shedding and the detection of typical rabies symptoms. In this regard, dogs and cats suspicious of the disease (for no reason inflicted bites) should be kept in strict isolation under clinical supervision for 10 days.If during this time they do not show signs of rabies, then, consequently, their saliva at the time of the bite did not contain the virus.

3. Very often you can see how children play in the sandboxes in the courtyards. Not always young mothers can keep track of what the child is playing. Children often touch their faces with dirty hands. Can you get infected in this way?

– when playing in the sandbox, a child can become infected with all sorts of parasitic diseases, however, rabies can be infected solely from the ingestion of the saliva of a sick animal on a wound or mucous membrane of a person when bitten by a sick animal.

4. Where can you go to vaccinate your animal? How much does this procedure cost?

You can go to any veterinary clinic to vaccinate your animal against rabies. Rabies vaccination is done once a year, free of charge at government veterinary institutions.

5. How to communicate with your pet so as not to become an object of attack, what should you pay attention to?

– a young dog should be brought up: observe, especially on walks, every action, encourage with words and delicacies for performing desired actions, accustom to commands, punish for unwanted actions.A dog should perceive its owner as a wise and reliable leader, all actions of which are ultimately aimed at the benefit of itself. It is then that the dog closely follows the owner, trying to understand what he is doing and what he expects from her.

6. What changes in the behavior of pets when they are infected with rabies. Where can they get this infection?

– at the initial stage, the animal becomes oppressed, reluctantly responds to the call, lies more.Sluggish appetite, indifferent to water. By the end of the 2nd day of illness, anxiety, irritability are often manifested, the sick dog tries to go to some distant corner. There are signs of clouding of consciousness, she barks for no reason, her voice becomes hoarse, deaf, gasps for air and makes other involuntary movements. It is typical for the dog to swallow inedible objects: chips, stones, etc. As a result of the growing excitement, the dog runs away from the house. On the way, she silently attacks people and animals.The period of excitement lasts 3-4 days, after which attacks of convulsions and paralysis occur. An animal can contract rabies from the saliva of a sick animal such as (rat, mouse, hamster, fox, raccoon, etc.).

90,000 What diseases do ticks carry and how to protect themselves from them

In May, more than 120 thousand Russians suffered from tick bites. What diseases ticks carry and what to do with a bite, Gazeta.Ru figured out.

The number of Russians affected by tick bites is growing every day – if two weeks ago 90,057 more than 52 thousand applied for medical help.people, then by now their number has increased 90,057 to 129 thousand. The largest number of people who applied for tick bites were registered in the Kemerovo, Irkutsk, Vologda and Sverdlovsk regions, as well as in St. Petersburg.

The most terrible disease that a tick bite can cause is tick-borne encephalitis.

The traditional areas of tick-borne encephalitis are Siberia, the Urals, the Far East, but cases of infection were also noted in central Russia, the North-West region, the Volga region.Tick-borne encephalitis virus is carried by ticks, which are found even in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Symptoms of the disease appear 4-14 days after the bite. Within 2-4 days, the infected person suffers from fever, headache and muscle pain, nausea. At this stage, the disease can easily be confused with the flu.

A week after the disappearance of these symptoms, almost a third of those infected have a second phase of the disease, which includes paralysis of the central nervous system, including meningitis (inflammation of the meninges and spinal cord) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).

The Far Eastern subtype of tick-borne encephalitis is characterized by a more violent course with a higher mortality rate. The disease begins with a sharp increase in body temperature to 38-39 ° C, severe headaches, sleep disturbances, and nausea begin. After 3-5 days, damage to the nervous system develops.

Tick-borne encephalitis can be diagnosed by the content of antibodies in the patient’s blood serum or by isolating the virus from the blood or cerebrospinal fluid.

There is no specific treatment for tick-borne encephalitis, you can only resort to supportive therapy.

Persistent neurological and psychiatric complications develop in 10-20% of infected individuals. The lethality of infection is 1-2% for the European subtype and 20-25% for the Far East; death usually occurs within 5-7 days after the onset of neurological symptoms.

The most reliable measure for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination. Vaccinations are required to be done by everyone who lives or is sent to areas where tick-carriers of the virus are found.

Ixodid ticks and Lyme disease – tick-borne borreliosis – are transferred.It is the most common tick-borne infection in the Northern Hemisphere. Immediately after the bite, a characteristic ring-shaped mark can be found on the skin, indicating an infection. It occurs in 60-80% of patients. The incubation period usually lasts 1-2 weeks, but it can take only a few days and, conversely, stretch for months or even years.

The first symptoms of the disease, as in tick-borne encephalitis, are similar to the symptoms of influenza – headache and muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, fever.A common symptom is a stiff neck. After 1-3 months, in 10-15% of those infected, the disease enters the second phase, when signs of damage to the nervous system, heart and joints appear. Symptoms range from sleep and memory disorders to meningitis and facial nerve palsy.

The third stage of Lyme disease occurs in the period from six months to two years.

Its common manifestation is arthritis, accompanied by a slight fever. The disease also increases the risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome and dementia.

Diagnosis of the disease includes the identification of borrelia – the causative agent of the disease. Antibiotics and supportive therapy are used for treatment to reduce complications. The prognosis is most favorable if treatment is started early.

Another disease transmitted by ticks is human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Symptoms of an Ehrlichia chaffeensis infection become apparent 1-3 weeks after the tick bite. These include headache, fever and chills, and abdominal pain.In the absence of treatment, lesions of the abdominal organs and the nervous system develop. In severe cases, death is possible. For treatment, antibiotics and drugs are used to remove toxic substances produced by bacteria from the body.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis develops 3-21 days after the pathogen, the bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum, enters the bloodstream. The disease is characterized by an acute onset with severe fever, weakness, headache and muscle pain.The pressure drops, the heart rate drops.

Anicteric hepatitis develops in 80% of cases.

One in ten patients has a rash on the body. Most of the sick complain of sore throat, sore throat, and coughing.

In rare cases, the disease leads to kidney damage. It also weakens the body, creating favorable conditions for the development of bacterial, viral and fungal diseases. Death is occasionally possible.

There is no vaccine against the disease, but timely antibiotic therapy avoids complications.

By May 25, 2018, 23 cases of tick-borne encephalitis and 250 cases of tick-borne borreliosis were registered in Russia. No cases of monocytic ehrlichiosis and granulocytic anaplasmosis have yet been reported.

Rospotrebnadzor strongly recommends that when staying in the forest or at a summer cottage during the period of tick activity, carefully protect the skin –

Use long-sleeved clothes, tuck shirts into trousers, trousers into socks or shoes, cover your head and neck with a scarf.

If the mite is still attached to the skin, it is better to remove it in the emergency room. If this is not possible, then the tick should be grasped with tweezers or fingers wrapped in clean gauze as close as possible to its mouth apparatus and, keeping strictly perpendicular to the bite surface, rotate the tick body around its axis.

The site of the bite should be disinfected, and the tick itself should be taken to the laboratory – there it will be possible to establish whether it is a carrier of any pathogen.

90,000 Tick bite – what to do?

We remind you that treatment for ticks must be carried out regularly and properly, i.e.because although in Len. region and St. Petersburg, the problem of infection with piroplasmosis is not yet worth it, infection with borreliosis is more than possible, both for your dog and yourself.

There is such a disease of both animals and humans – borreliosis (Lyme disease) This is a spirochete bacterium, which is transmitted with a tick bite, in the chronic course of the disease, infection can occur through blood transfusion.

In humans, annular erythema migrans develops from the site of the tick bite.If it is found, then the person is no longer examined, but treated immediately.

The incubation period of the disease can be from a couple of days to several months. Also, at the onset of the disease, fever, conjunctivitis, red rash, headaches and pain in the neck are possible. Swollen lymph nodes. Further, signs of damage to the meninges may appear.

With further spread of the pathogen throughout the body, further damage to the nervous system occurs, which can manifest itself as paresis, paralysis, increased fatigue, and progressive heart failure.

In a chronic state, the disease proceeds in the form of chronic arthritis, chronic dermatitis and neurological insufficiency, as in neurosyphilis.

On its own, this disease can last up to 2-10 years. Immunity is developed temporarily, after 5-7 years, with a second tick bite, there may be a new infection.

In animals, the acute phase of the disease manifests itself in only 20% of animals. It usually manifests itself with fever, lameness, and joint damage. After 1-2 months, the pathogen spreads throughout the body and causes damage to other organs.The final picture is manifested by neurological manifestations and arthritis-lameness.

How to protect yourself and your dog? – avoid tick bites

Ticks become active almost immediately after the snow melts and actively “bite” from April-May to September. The greatest number of ticks occurs in the spring.

The speed of movement of ticks is very high, and the sensitivity in choosing a prey allows ticks to find animals at great distances.

Borreliosis is common in the same place as tick-borne encephalitis, so if there is no piroplasmosis in your area, you should not not treat your dog for parasites.

Borreliosis is carried by ticks of the genus Ixodes, or Ixodidae. the infection is carried by both adult ticks and growing intermediate forms – nymphs.

For humans, methods of protection against ticks: thick deaf clothes, hats, high boots or socks + thick shoes + deterrent drugs, of which there is now a sea on the market.

The combination of fipronil (frontline) and permethrin (advantix) is most effective for a dog.This combination is safe, and these drugs help to remove each other’s shortcomings (the first is addictive in insects, the second does not work if the animal is wet).

From new products – the drops on the withers “Praktik”, whose composition is a modified fipronil molecule with the same safety, work very well so far.

Merial, which originally patented fipronil (frontline), is now putting on the market drops from a combination of fipronil and amitrazine. The latter is very good against ticks, but in a number of animals it can cause seizures, in cats – 100% poisoning, the antidote is anti-sedan.Recently, there have been almost no deliveries to Russia.

Of the modern collars that can be used in combination with drops on the withers, these are kiltix and scalibor. The latter is very relevant for Moscow and regions south of Moscow, because mosquito-borne dirofilariasis is more common every year.

You can buy all drugs in our zoo pharmacy. Remember that before use, consultation with a specialist doctor is mandatory.

Mosquitoes brought diseases to Russia from hot countries – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

Some types of mosquitoes can cause infectious and parasitic diseases.Malaria and other dangerous infections can be picked up just from the bite of a tiny insect. Rospotrebnadzor told where the threat comes from and how to avoid it.

Why mosquitoes are dangerous

We have a sea of different types of mosquitoes – more than 100 species and subspecies belonging to 8 genera. Not all are dangerous – representatives of the genera Anopheles, Culiseta, Aedes, Culex and Coquillettidia are of epidemiological significance.

But, of course, it is impossible for a layman to distinguish which mosquito bit you and how high the risk of getting sick is.

And you can get sick with very unpleasant ailments – in our country, mosquitoes can cause tularemia and, potentially, anthrax, plasmodium malaria and other diseases.

“Diseases endemic for Russia, which are transmitted by mosquitoes: tularemia, dirofilariasis, West Nile fever (WNF), fevers caused by viruses of the California encephalitis group (Inko, Tyaginya, Khatanga fevers), as well as Batai fevers and others”, Sindh. – they say in Rospotrebnadzor.

There is also a threat: even if a certain infection is not endemic for Russia, it can be brought to us, for example, by tourists who fall ill on a foreign trip, or sick animals.

In which regions to be afraid of mosquitoes

1 Malaria is an endemic infection for Africa, Asia, India, the Pacific Rim, South America. With us, local transmission is possible in the Central region and in Western Siberia, in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, in Dagestan, the Volga region, Krasnodar Territory, in the Far East and on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

“Malaria mosquitoes can fly in as” hares “on airplanes and already in Russia become a source of so-called” airfield malaria. “Therefore, according to WHO rules, aircraft are treated with disinsection agents. and subtropical climate They are brought to Russia by tourists returning from India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, from the Caribbean islands, from Central America, Africa, Indonesia, Zika fever is also brought from America.Some mosquito species living on the Black Sea coast and in the Krasnodar Territory can transmit these infections.

3 West Nile Fever (WNF) has been massively registered in Russia since 1999. Today, its causative agent has already been recorded in 62 regions of the country. The main source is waterfowl. Infection occurs if a mosquito first bites a sick animal, and then a person. Therefore, most cases are recorded at the peak of the mosquito season: in the south – from June to September, in the north – in July.You can bring the infection from the tropics at any time.

What to do to protect

Malaria mosquitoes (genus Anopheles) breed in fresh water, even small temporary containers that collect water for irrigation are enough, not to mention puddles and ditches, coastal areas of ponds.

Imported mosquito species can breed even in the city – in old car tires, trays of flower pots and even in tree hollows. Residents of high-rise buildings know: if the basement is damp, there will be mosquitoes in the house.

Hence the main means of protection – to ensure that the basements are dry, and in the country – to collect and store water in closed containers. Vaccination can protect against tularemia, yellow fever, Dengue and Japanese encephalitis – it must be done when traveling to endemic countries.

Finally, do not neglect the simplest means: mosquito nets on the windows (just do it so that children do not get hurt). Of course, the use of all kinds of repellents helps.

Opinion

Viktor Maleev, Advisor to the Director of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

– Due to climate warming, the habitats of blood-sucking insects are constantly expanding, their borders are moving to the north.And today in our cool regions you can find species of insects, the same mosquitoes that were not found in Russia a few years ago.

While the threat of tick-borne encephalitis remains more relevant for our country – ticks that carry this dangerous infection and several others, also quite severe, are found in many regions. But even cases of infections carried by mosquitoes are not uncommon today.

For example, there have been cases of West Nile fever in Voronezh and Krasnodar, although previously it occurred in more southern regions.There have also been such cases in the south of Siberia, where birds and horses are the reservoir for this virus. This infection may also appear in the central regions of the European part of Russia.

For prevention, it is necessary to destroy accumulations of mosquitoes near living quarters and water reservoirs. During the outbreak of West Nile fever in the Volgograd region, anti-mosquito treatment was carried out in basements of houses.

Council

Ekaterina Matantseva, CEO of an organic cosmetics company:

– On the packaging of any synthetic repellent, you will find a warning: it should not be used by pregnant and lactating women, people with skin diseases and hypersensitivity to chemicals.Components such as diethyltoluamide (DEET) and dimethyl phthalate can negatively affect the nervous and endocrine systems. Ethyl butyl acetylaminopropionate is a component that has been used not so long ago. It is considered to be of low toxicity, and yet products based on it should not be applied to the skin of children under one year old. It is better to do without toxic chemicals. The essential oils of some plants contain substances with repellent properties. I will name the most common: this is the essential oil of citronella, clove (which also protects against dust mites).An effective blend of oils of clove, geranium and thyme. And a combination of clove and lavender oils has been shown to protect against dog ticks, too. You can also use oils of lemongrass, basil, lemon eucalyptus.

Ivan Egorov: “Cases of rabies are rare, but caution will not hurt”

Dmitry Kandinsky / vtomske.ru

There has been no quarantine for animal rabies in the Tomsk region since 2013, when a fox made its way into a private courtyard in the village of Zarechny, Tomsk region …Therefore, when this year, one by one, quarantine was announced in four settlements, a lot of noise arose. On the eve of the opening of the hunting season and the mass exodus of people into the forests about the dangers of rabies, we talked with the head of the department for organizing anti-epizootic and quarantine measures, epizootic monitoring of the veterinary department of the Tomsk region, Ivan Yegorov.

– Ivan Vladimirovich, let’s first recall what kind of disease it is?

– Rabies is a natural focal viral infection of animals and humans, prevalent mainly among canine mammals, transmitted from them mainly through a bite, less often by salivation.The disease is caused by a rabies virus that attacks the central nervous system. This disease has been known to people since ancient times. Documentary sources confirm an incident that occurred in the Middle Ages in Europe. In 1271, an attack by rabid wolves in Germany caused the extinction of an entire village.

– To what extent is the situation that has developed this year with rabies in our region non-standard?

– We have been well on this disease for a long time.But in fact, such a problem exists, and not only in the Tomsk region. On the territory of our country, only from April 1 to April 23, 173 cases of rabies were registered. The largest number of cases was detected in the regions of the European part of Russia (Volgograd, Lipetsk, Bryansk, Nizhny Novgorod, Belgorod, Saratov and Tula regions). It was most often observed in foxes (40%), dogs (32%) and cats (20%). In cattle, the disease was detected in 8% of cases.

As for the Siberian Federal District, 42 epizootic foci have been identified since the beginning of the year, most of which are in Buryatia.In addition, cases of rabies were recorded in Tomsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen regions and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. We assume that sick foxes could have entered the Tomsk region from neighboring regions. But it should be noted that these are isolated cases.

– What work is being done to keep people safe from even this minimal risk of meeting an infected animal?

– First of all, in order to prevent this disease, we are conducting propaganda among the population: on the annual mandatory vaccination of carnivores, hunting dogs.Also, under the terms of quarantine, measures are being taken such as regulating the number of foxes, which are the main carriers of rabies viruses. This is the responsibility of the Department of Hunting and Fisheries of the Tomsk Region.

– But the fox license hunters don’t line up.

– Yes, indeed. Today fox fur is practically not in demand. To stimulate hunters, the timeframe for fox hunting around quarantined settlements has been extended.

According to the Department of Hunting and Fisheries, the fox is a sedentary animal and rarely goes further than 15-20 kilometers from its den. Therefore, additional measures were taken to regulate the number of foxes within a radius of 15 kilometers from the settlement, in which restrictive measures were imposed, by shooting, so as not to create a danger of infection of people and domestic animals.

The last shooting occurred in Ozernoye. The fox was transferred to the Kolpashevo veterinary administration, the pathological material was selected, but so far we cannot deliver it here because of the river.As soon as the ice drift passes, we will conduct a research. Of course, during the period of quarantine measures, clinically healthy foxes also fall under the shooting (not the fact that they are not infected with the virus), but this is also a necessary measure.

– If foxes are sedentary, how did the sick animals get to our region?

– This year there are very favorable conditions for them: fine snow cover. It is not difficult for foxes to walk several tens or even hundreds of kilometers through this snow.At the same time, a sick animal can behave inappropriately, and therefore move away from the den.

– The hunting season opens, hundreds of people will go to the taiga. If you happen to meet a fox, how to understand that she is sick?

– If the animal is healthy, it is unlikely that it will come close to a person. Most often sick weakened individuals accumulate near settlements. They go out to people, sometimes they even try to flatter. Do not be mistaken that a wild animal is so affectionate and try to play with it.You shouldn’t tame wild animals either: we even had cases when a dog and a fox lived in the same booth – this is unacceptable.

A hunter should understand all the more that any wild animal is dangerous. First of all, hunting dogs are at risk. They must be vaccinated against rabies every year.

– If, nevertheless, it was not possible to avoid the bite, how to act in the first minutes?

– First of all, it is urgently necessary to thoroughly wash the wound under running water and soap.Moreover, the flushing should not be short, but last at least five minutes. If there is no running water, everyone has a first aid kit in the car. You need to take a regular syringe without a needle and wash the wound with a soapy solution under pressure with it. You do not need to cauterize the wounds, you need to contact the nearest medical institution as soon as possible, because the success of rabies vaccination depends on how quickly you seek medical help. It is advisable to tell the doctor how the animal looked, tell about its behavior, the circumstances of the bite.This is followed by a course of vaccinations. I want to reassure you right away: no one puts 40 injections in the stomach. They will inject the vaccine and go home. The procedure will need to be repeated five to six times. Within six months, you will need to refrain from taking alcoholic beverages, you cannot overwork, overcool and overheat.

– So you can be saved?

– The development of the disease is successfully prevented. However, if the animal is really sick, and the bite is localized close to the brain – in the neck, shoulder, face – then the probability of death is very high.If the localization is lower, then while the virus is spreading, you can have time to take the necessary measures, introduce immunoglobulins, vaccines – then a person has more chances of recovery.

– How does rabies manifest in pets? After all, the contact of a dog and a fox can be overlooked.

– The danger is that the dog has a long incubation period preceding the onset of rabies symptoms. Most often, it does not exceed two weeks, but it can last up to a year.The virus appears in saliva for 8-10 days, even before the appearance of clinical signs. During this period, the animal is already dangerous.

As practice shows, within 10 days we already see that the sick animal is afraid of light, water, often there is a sagging jaw and profuse salivation, inappropriate behavior – the dog can simply rush to the owner. An attentive owner will always notice signs that are not characteristic of a healthy animal. After that, you should immediately contact the nearest veterinary clinic, institution.

– Does the infected dog have a chance to survive?

– No. That is why we insist on annual vaccinations against this deadly disease. Any government veterinary clinic has a free rabies vaccine. In addition, to confirm or exclude a diagnosis, we need to select pathological material. In the case of rabies, this is the brain. As you can imagine, before this the animal is put to sleep.

– Have there been cases of rabies in the regional center in recent years?

– It was not.Although there were suspicions. Recently, in the village of Stepanovka, a lynx entered a personal subsidiary farm. The animal was killed, the pathological material was selected, examined in our laboratory – the diagnosis is negative.

However, if even a single case is detected within the city limits, quarantine measures will be introduced, as is now done in populated areas that are unsafe for rabies. After the introduction of quarantine, an epizoological investigation is carried out, the circle of persons who communicated with the sick animal is determined.The information goes to Rospotrebnadzor and medical institutions, which are taking preventive measures.

– The summer season is approaching, when people will go en masse to the forests in search of wild plants. Where should they go if they notice a sick animal?

– If you notice a wild, sick animal, you need to contact the local hunting experts to shoot it. When a corpse of an animal is found, you do not need to pick it up or examine it in order to avoid a dangerous situation for yourself.It is necessary to inform the veterinary service, if possible indicating the coordinates of the place. We will take care of ourselves.

Your safety – “Prevention of tularemia”

The epidemiological situation in tularemia remains tense, in 2016 there is the highest incidence rate per 100 thousand population in the last 10 years, which was 0.25, which is 2.5 times higher than in 2015. Tularemia is an acute infectious disease characterized by fever, damage to the lymph nodes and other organs.Sources of infection are rodents and blood-sucking insects. A person can become infected through the skin and mucous membranes, when catching sick rodents, butchering carcasses, carrying the infection with dirty hands on the mucous membrane of the eyes, inhaling infected dust, drinking from random bodies of water and ingesting infected food, as well as through the bites of ticks, horseflies and mosquitoes. The disease begins acutely, with a sudden rise in temperature to 40C. There is a sharp headache, dizziness, muscle pain, loss of appetite.A characteristic sign is an increase in lymph nodes by 2-3 days of illness, the size of which can be from a pea to a walnut.

The main preventive measures for tularemia infection is the use of personal protective equipment (mosquito nets, repellents, etc.) to protect against blood-sucking insects and ticks. When rodents appear in the room, measures should be taken to destroy them using traps or chemicals. Strictly monitor the cleanliness of the yards and garden areas, avoid clutter, store garbage and food waste in strictly designated places, in garbage bins with tight-fitting lids.Products should be stored in places inaccessible to rodents, water in closed containers. Do not eat food with traces of rodent activity, and also do not pick mushrooms damaged by rodents (gnawing, droppings). Only boiled water should be used for drinking, washing vegetables and fruits, and preparing food. In order to avoid contamination by air and dust, work accompanied by dust formation must be carried out with the use of personal protective equipment (cotton-gauze bandage or respirator, gloves).

90,000 Caution – Ticks! | KURSK REGIONAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL №2

Warm sunny days are coming, and I really want to get out “into nature” – to the forest, to the dacha, to the health camp! How often do we think about what can darken our vacation … Unfortunately, carriers of severe and sometimes fatal diseases, such as Lyme disease (ixodic tick-borne borreliosis) and tick-borne spring-summer encephalitis, wake up along with nature. Diseases associated with tick bites are recorded annually in the Kursk region.

What do ticks look like?

The size of female ticks is 3-5 millimeters, the front part of their body and 4 pairs of legs are dark brown, and the back part is brick-red, the body is oval, in front there is a cone-shaped dark protrusion (head), which consists of a proboscis, which, when sucking blood plunges into the human body, and two lateral parts. Males are smaller and darker than females. The saliva of the ticks, which contain pathogens, enters the victim’s body.

Ticks “wake up” in early spring – in March-April, as soon as the snow melts.In our territory, ticks are very active in April-May, in June-July there are fewer ticks, and at the end of August-September, tick-borne activity begins to rise again in the region.

It is believed that ixodid ticks either jump like fleas or fly like mosquitoes. In fact, they are only capable of crawling. Their favorite habitats are the sides of forest paths with dense bushes, thickets of trees or tall grass, accumulations of dead wood or dead wood. They usually avoid open, well-lit meadows or swampy places.In moderately humid, dense coniferous-deciduous forests, ticks can be found more often. Ticks never crawl onto trees or jump from them. They cannot tolerate direct sunlight and dry air. In the inhabited territory (near gardening, roads, paths), there are more ticks than in areas untouched by humans.

Ticks either stick immediately or can crawl along the body of the victim, choosing open areas with thin skin. In humans, they can stick throughout the body, but more often – to the scalp and behind the ear, neck and armpits, back and groin.At the same time, it is not always possible to feel the bite itself, as it happens, for example, with a mosquito or bee bite. Therefore, it is important to carefully examine yourself during or after visiting the forest and forest park zone, working at the summer cottage, especially if you are doing its improvement, on hiking trips, since you can not notice either a crawling or a ticking tick. By neglecting this inspection, you can bring infected ticks into the house on clothes, backpacks, bags, freshly picked grass, branches, flowers, etc., endangering the disease of your family and friends.

The causative agent of the disease (virus) is transmitted to humans in the first minutes of a tick infected with the virus. All people are susceptible to infection with tick-borne viral encephalitis.

Infection Possible:

when bitten by an infected tick;
when eating raw milk of goats, cows, in which during the period of a mass attack of ticks, the virus may be in milk;
when crushing a tick or scratching the suction site.

The incubation period (latent period of the disease) is up to 30 days, most often 7-14 days, so it is very important to establish the first signs of the disease. If temperature, weakness or malaise, body aches appear during this period of time, it is necessary to consult a doctor and be sure to inform about the fact of tick suction. The first signs of tick-borne encephalitis, ixodic tick-borne borreliosis, and ehrlichiosis are very similar. After the latent period, the patient’s temperature rises to 37.5-38 degrees, weakness, headache, nausea, irritability appear.If such symptoms are noted after registering a case of tick suction, then the first thing to do is to go to the hospital for medical help. The earlier the diagnosis is made and effective treatment is prescribed, the greater the likelihood of success in full recovery without the transition of the disease to a chronic form and subsequent disability.

It must be remembered that one of the main measures for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is to prevent tick sucking.