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Increasing Insect Reactions in Alaska: Is this Related to Changing Climate?

Jeffrey Demain¹, Bradford Gessner², Joseph McLaughlin², Derek Sikes³ & Timothy Foote⁴

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1. Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Center of Alaska, University of Washington
2. State of Alaska, Alaska Section of Epidemiology
3. University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks
4. Tanana Valley Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, Fairbanks

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Document Type:

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Date:

Received 05 November 2008 22:03 UTC; Posted 07 November 2008

Subjects:

Earth & Environment

Tags:

• climate change
• global warming
• Stinging Insect
• Hymenoptera
• Yellowjacket
• Anaphylaxis
• Alaska
• Wasp

Abstract:

During the summer of 2006, Fairbanks Alaska experienced its first two known cases of fatal anaphylaxis as a result of Hymenoptera stings, presumably from yellowjackets. An increase in insect bites and stings has been observed throughout the state.Has there been an increased incidence of medical visits due to insect bites and stings in Alaska in recent years? We conducted a retrospective review of three independent patient databases in Alaska to identify trends of patients seeking medical care for adverse reactions following insect bites and stings. For each database, an insect bite or sting episode warranting medical care was defined as a claim for the Clinical Modification of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9-CM), codes E905.3 (venomous insect; Hymenoptera); E906.4 (bite; non-venomous arthropod), and 989.5 (toxic effect; venom). Increases in bite and sting events in each region were compared to temperature changes in the same region. Each database revealed a statistically significant trend in patients seeking care for reactions to insect bites and stings. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Emergency Department reported a four-fold increase in patients in 2006 compared to previous years (1992-2005). The Allergy Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska reported a three-fold increase in patients from 1999 – 2002 to 2003- 2007. A retrospective review of the Alaska Medicaid database between 1999 and 2006 showed increases in billings for insect bites and stings among all regions, with the largest percentage increases occurring in the most northern areas. Alaska has experienced an increase in insect bites and stings, most dramatically indicated by two anaphylaxis deaths due to Hymenoptera stings. Statistically significant increases in patients seeking medical care for insect bite and sting related events are observed throughout the state, with 5 of the 6 regions experiencing at least a 6 degree Fahrenheit increase in winter temperature since 1950.

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This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Demain, Jeffrey, Gessner, Bradford, McLaughlin, Joseph, Sikes, Derek, and Foote, Timothy. Increasing Insect Reactions in Alaska: Is this Related to Changing Climate?. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2008.2481.1> (2008)

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