Why are mosquito bites swollen and itchy for so long?

Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying insects for humans, especially they often proliferate in the summer.

Mosquitoes are one of the most annoying insects for humans, especially they often proliferate in the summer.

Why do mosquito bites often itch?

  • Why are mosquito bites at night more itchy than mosquitoes that bite during the day?
  • Why do mosquitoes bite some people and others do not get bitten by mosquitoes?
  • Do mosquito bites need to see a doctor?

Mosquitoes often attack you aggressively at night. Even with a mosquito buzzing in the mosquito nets, they can disrupt your good night's sleep. Especially when bitten by a mosquito, you will feel uncomfortable during the night because of the itch.

The itchy and swollen feeling that you often suffer when bitten by mosquitoes is actually a reaction of the immune system to the antigens present in the saliva of the mosquitoes. When a mosquito bite means that the mosquito is injecting a little saliva to 'local anesthetic'. Therefore, this is the reason why many people do not realize they are being bitten by a mosquito for a few seconds.

Picture 1 of Why are mosquito bites swollen and itchy for so long?

Mosquitoes often attack you aggressively at night.

This mosquito saliva also acts as an anticoagulant, preventing blood clots so mosquitoes can freely suck blood from your body until they are full.

Meanwhile, the body sends antibodies IgG and IgE to deal with this sudden invasion of the mosquitoes. Therefore, this process can lead to a normal immune reaction and manifest on your skin as bumps and itching . Especially in children, when bitten by mosquitoes, they often swell and itch worse than adults because adults after repeated bites of mosquitoes have 'adapted' so the immune system reacts less seriously.

Why are mosquito bites at night more itchy than mosquitoes that bite during the day?

When you are bitten by mosquitoes at night, you will often feel itchy more during the day because at night, the hormones steroid, cortisol in the body are quite low and this reduces the body's natural immunity. So when a mosquito bites at night, you also get itchy and more swollen.

However, this can also vary from person to person because the level of cortisol produced in the body depends on the individual's circadian rhythms.

Why do mosquitoes bite some people and others do not get bitten by mosquitoes?

Mosquitoes often prefer to choose someone as a victim if your body has a large percentage of carbon dioxide in the sweat and the presence of a chemical like Nonanal.

Accordingly, there are three types of people that are most commonly bitten by mosquitoes: men, obese people and people with type O blood.

Do mosquito bites need to see a doctor?

If after nearly a week, the symptoms of a mosquito bite do not improve or become worse, consult your doctor. Because some people have adverse reactions to mosquito bites and can become infected.

To reduce itching and swelling when bitten by mosquitoes, you can try many natural remedies such as applying vinegar, lemon juice, toothpaste to the mosquito bites. Avoid scratching too much as this can lead to bruising and infection of your skin.

  • Interesting facts about mosquitoes
  • How to fight mosquitoes and mosquito bites when traveling
Update 27 February 2020
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