Characteristics of Adverse Events in Bee Venom Therapy Reported in South Korea: A Survey Study

Kim, Kyeong Han; Jeong, Hye In; Lee, Gihyun; Jang, Soobin; Yook, Tae-Han

doi:10.3390/toxins14010018

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…However, there were case reports of two deaths due to anaphylaxis after BVA treatment [17]. Clinical use of bee venom is limited owing to these severe cases of adverse effects; however, there is no clear evidence leading to the conclusion that bee venom therapy (BVT) is not safe [18]. In fact, two large cohort studies included in our review suggested that the incidence rate of anaphylaxis in response to BVA is 0.034% and 0.019% in 32,000 and 15,783 patients, respectively [19,20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidence Rate of Bee Venom Acupuncture Related Anaphylaxis: A Systematic Review

Kwon

et al. 2022

Toxins

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Background: Bee venom acupuncture (BVA) is an effective treatment method for various diseases. Bee venom, however, can cause adverse effects, even rarely including life-threatening anaphylaxis, so safety-related evidence is required. In this study, we systematically estimated the incidence rate of anaphylaxis in response to BVA. Methods: We searched eight databases (MEDLINE (Pubmed), EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled, KISS, KMBASE, Koreamed, OASIS, and NDSL) and systematically reviewed the articles that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results: Among 225 potentially relevant articles, 49 were selected for this study. The overall incidence rate of anaphylaxis in response to BVA was 0.045% (95% CI 0.028–0.062). Women (0.083%, 95% CI 0.010–0.157) showed a higher incidence rate than men (0.019%, 95% CI −0.018 to 0.055), while the incidence for patients who had a skin test conducted (0.041%, 95% CI 0.011–0.072) was not significantly different compared to that obtained for patients for which there was no information about a skin test (0.047%, 95% CI 0.026–0.067). The publication year affected the incidence rate: it was highest before 1999 (1.099%, 95% CI −1.043 to 3.241), lower between 2000 and 2009 (0.049%, 95% CI 0.025–0.073), and lowest between 2010 and 2021 (0.037% 95% CI 0.014–0.060). Conclusions: In this study, we provide reference data about risk size and factors of BVA-related anaphylaxis, which is essentially required for BVA application in clinics.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incidence Rate of Bee Venom Acupuncture Related Anaphylaxis: A Systematic Review

Kwon

et al. 2022

Toxins

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“…In traditional East Asian medicine, BVP is used for the treatment of various diseases. Studies on the incidence of AEs and relevant factors are continuously published to prevent and identify AEs that can occur when performing BVP [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of the Adverse Events Associated with Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture in Patients Hospitalized in a Korean Hospital: A Retrospective Chart Review Study

Bae

Jung

Kwon

et al. 2022

Toxins

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In bee venom pharmacopuncture (BVP), bee venom isolated from the venom sac of bees is injected into the acupoint or muscle associated with a disease. However, the histamine component in bee venom can cause adverse events; therefore, attention is required for BVP use. This study investigated the frequency, severity and characteristics of patients developing BVP-associated adverse events. The medical records of patients treated with BVP at Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital between 1 January 2013 and 1 May 2021 were reviewed. The demographic characteristics, disease-related characteristics, treatment-related characteristics and impressions of each patient were analyzed. In this study, >50% of 4821 inpatients were hospitalized for neurological disorders. The mean age of the overall study population was 54.62 ± 16.38 years and 61% were women. The frequency of adverse events was 2.32%. The mean age in the adverse events group was 58.20 ± 16.10 years and 76% were women. Two patients experienced moderate adverse events, with no commonality between these events. Every patient recovered naturally with no sequelae. The results showed that BVP is a relatively safe therapeutic method. However, further studies are needed to determine the frequency of adverse events and identify the causality between baseline characteristics and adverse events.

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“…Bee venom has promising anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory characteristics. [ 17 ] Therefore, it is widely used to control inflammation and alleviate musculoskeletal pain in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. [ 17 ] Several clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of bee venom for managing lower back pain and have demonstrated its positive therapeutic effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ 17 ] Therefore, it is widely used to control inflammation and alleviate musculoskeletal pain in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. [ 17 ] Several clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of bee venom for managing lower back pain and have demonstrated its positive therapeutic effect. [ 8 , 9 , 18 ] As bee venom has a strong toxic effect, only a minimal dose of diluted bee venom is allowed in clinical practice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent severe muscle pain following mistakenly injected high-dose bee venom: A care-compliant case report

Chang

2022

Medicine

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Rationale: In clinical practice, bee venom injection into acupuncture points is used to relieve various types of musculoskeletal pain. In the current study, we describe a patient who had persistent severe muscle pain caused by mistakenly injected high-dose bee venom.Patient concerns: A 63-year-old woman mistakenly received an injection of high-dose (2 mL; standard dose, 0.1 mL) bee venom (diluted in saline at a 1:2000 ratio). Immediately after the injection, extreme burning pain developed at the injection site, which persisted for 1 month with a mean pain score of 9 on the numeric rating scale. T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced axial lumbar magnetic resonance imaging revealed increased intensity in the medial part of the left psoas muscle around the L4-5 intervertebral disc level.Diagnosis: This finding indicated the presence of inflammation in the left psoas muscle, which was thought to be associated with pain.Interventions: A buprenorphine transdermal patch (releasing 5 mcg/hours) was applied to alleviate the pain.Outcomes: Six months after the bee venom injection, the pain completely resolved.Lessons: Bee venom has a strong toxic effect; therefore, only a minimal dose of diluted bee venom should be administered for musculoskeletal pain control. Special caution is required during bee venom injection to avoid excessive doses of bee venom.

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Characteristics of Adverse Events in Bee Venom Therapy Reported in South Korea: A Survey Study

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Incidence Rate of Bee Venom Acupuncture Related Anaphylaxis: A Systematic Review

Incidence Rate of Bee Venom Acupuncture Related Anaphylaxis: A Systematic Review

Investigation of the Adverse Events Associated with Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture in Patients Hospitalized in a Korean Hospital: A Retrospective Chart Review Study

Persistent severe muscle pain following mistakenly injected high-dose bee venom: A care-compliant case report

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