Abstract
This study was aimed at investigating Korean patients’ experience with bee venom therapy (BVT) and providing evidence to enhance BVT safety. Thus, an anonymous online survey was conducted between August 22 and 28, 2018. Five hundred respondents who underwent pharmacopuncture (PA) within one year were surveyed (sample error: 95 ± 4.38%). Of these, 32 respondents were excluded and 468 were evaluated. Of the 468, 61 reported experiencing adverse events after PA. The adverse event rate was higher in the BV-PA(Bee venom-Pharmacopuncture) group than in the non-A group; however, intergroup differences were insignificant. There were no significant differences in mild symptom intensity between the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups (p = 0.572). However, there was a significant intergroup difference in severe symptom intensity (p < 0.001). Additionally, the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups did not significantly differ in their level of satisfaction either overall or in terms of effectiveness and safety (p = 0.414, p = 0.339, and p = 0.675, respectively). Furthermore, the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups did not differ regarding intent to re-treat (p = 0.722). Severe adverse events such as anaphylactic shock were not reported; however, BVT practitioners should be cautious when applying it.
Highlights
Bee venom (BV) is one of the most widely-used animal venoms, and consists of various complex compounds that induce allergic reactions [1]
Bee Venom therapy (BVT), in which bee venom is used for medicinal treatment, is applied worldwide; it is mainly used in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America [2]
We evaluated the differences between the BV-PA and non-BV-PA groups in terms of demographic characteristics, adverse events experienced, and treatment satisfaction
Summary
Bee venom (BV) is one of the most widely-used animal venoms, and consists of various complex compounds that induce allergic reactions [1]. Bee Venom therapy (BVT), in which bee venom is used for medicinal treatment, is applied worldwide; it is mainly used in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America [2]. BV is a complex compound consisting of several substances, some of which have anti-inflammatory [7], antinociceptive [8], radioprotective [9], antimutagenic [10], and anticancer [11,12] activities. The therapeutic effect of BV has been demonstrated through research, there remains an important limitation in that immune responses to BVT can range from trivial skin reactions to life-threatening responses such as anaphylaxis [15,16]. The substances known to be primarily responsible for allergic reactions are phospholipase A2 and histamine, which entail safety concerns for BV-sensitive patients [17,18]
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