Monday, June 01, 2009
Avoid the pitfalls of poison ivy
It’s one of the most common and irritating maladies that come along with the warm weather – poison ivy.
Each year, as soon as the weather warms and people begin spending more time outside, this nuisance rears its ugly head in my pediatric practice and across the country.
About 25 to 40 million people in the United States need medical treatment for poison ivy every year.
A person can get poison ivy either by direct contact or indirect contact such as pets, garden tools or when the plant is burned.
After contact, about 50% of people develop symptoms anywhere from four hours to four days later. The most common symptoms are intense itching, swelling, redness and blisters.
Left untreated, most people get better over the course of one to three weeks. But some severe lesions can become infected and cause more serious complications.
Treatments include adding oatmeal to the bath, applying cool compression and sometimes calamine lotion. These measures certainly help in alleviating some discomfort. A soap mixture called Zanfel may help relieve some symptoms.
Over the counter antihistamines like Benadryl or Claritin may help with the itching. Topical corticosteroids may work if used in the first few days. Most people will need a stronger cream than the cortisone cream available over the counter. When there are many lesions or the face or genitals are involved, oral corticosteroids are useful in relieving the symptoms. Do not use neomycin or bacitracin creams or ointments as these may make the rash worse.
The best way to prevent poison ivy is to identify and avoid the plants that cause it. These plants can cause symptoms year round, and even years after the plant dies.
“Leaves of three, let them be” is a phrase used to help identify plants that cause poison ivy. Generally poison ivy and poison oak have three leaves with flowering branches positioned on a single stem. Poison sumac has five, seven, or more leaves that angle upward toward the top of the stem. Some leaves may have black dots on them.
Other prevention techniques include wearing protective clothing and vinyl gloves while working on your yard or gardening; washing with mild soap and water after exposure (do not scrub); using creams such as Ivy Block, which might help people who are frequently exposed to poison ivy; and avoid burning poisonous plants as particles in the smoke can cause the dreaded poison ivy rash.
Ravi Prakash, MD, is a pediatrician on the Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private pediatric office in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Prakash and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at www.healthydocs.blogspot.com.
Each year, as soon as the weather warms and people begin spending more time outside, this nuisance rears its ugly head in my pediatric practice and across the country.
About 25 to 40 million people in the United States need medical treatment for poison ivy every year.
A person can get poison ivy either by direct contact or indirect contact such as pets, garden tools or when the plant is burned.
After contact, about 50% of people develop symptoms anywhere from four hours to four days later. The most common symptoms are intense itching, swelling, redness and blisters.
Left untreated, most people get better over the course of one to three weeks. But some severe lesions can become infected and cause more serious complications.
Treatments include adding oatmeal to the bath, applying cool compression and sometimes calamine lotion. These measures certainly help in alleviating some discomfort. A soap mixture called Zanfel may help relieve some symptoms.
Over the counter antihistamines like Benadryl or Claritin may help with the itching. Topical corticosteroids may work if used in the first few days. Most people will need a stronger cream than the cortisone cream available over the counter. When there are many lesions or the face or genitals are involved, oral corticosteroids are useful in relieving the symptoms. Do not use neomycin or bacitracin creams or ointments as these may make the rash worse.
The best way to prevent poison ivy is to identify and avoid the plants that cause it. These plants can cause symptoms year round, and even years after the plant dies.
“Leaves of three, let them be” is a phrase used to help identify plants that cause poison ivy. Generally poison ivy and poison oak have three leaves with flowering branches positioned on a single stem. Poison sumac has five, seven, or more leaves that angle upward toward the top of the stem. Some leaves may have black dots on them.
Other prevention techniques include wearing protective clothing and vinyl gloves while working on your yard or gardening; washing with mild soap and water after exposure (do not scrub); using creams such as Ivy Block, which might help people who are frequently exposed to poison ivy; and avoid burning poisonous plants as particles in the smoke can cause the dreaded poison ivy rash.
Ravi Prakash, MD, is a pediatrician on the Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private pediatric office in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Prakash and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at www.healthydocs.blogspot.com.
# posted by ----------------- @ 1:36 PM 
