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Human bites - self-care

Bites - human - self-care

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Human bites

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Description

A human bite can break, puncture, or tear the skin. Bites that break the skin can be very serious because of the risk for infection.

Causes

Human bites can occur in two ways:

Bites are very common among young children. Children often bite to express anger or other negative feelings.

Males between 10 and 34 years old are more likely to be victims of human bites.

Human bites may be more dangerous than animal bites. Certain germs in some human mouths can cause hard-to-treat infections. You can also get certain diseases from a human bite, such as HIV/AIDS or hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

Symptoms

Pain, bleeding, numbness and tingling may occur with any human bite.

Symptoms from bites may be mild to severe, including:

Wound Care

If you or your child gets a bite that breaks the skin, you should see a health care provider within 24 hours for treatment.

If you are caring for someone who was bitten:

To care for the wound:

Get medical attention within 24 hours.

Do not ignore any human bite, especially if it is bleeding. And do not put your mouth on the wound.

Possible Complications

Complications from bite wounds include:

A human bite is more likely to become infected in people who have:

How to Prevent Human Bites

Prevent bites by:

Prognosis (Outcome)

Most human bites will heal without causing an infection or lasting harm to the tissue. Some bites will need surgery to clean the wound and repair the damage. Even minor bites may need to be closed with sutures (stitches). Deep or extensive bites may result in significant scarring.

When to Call the Doctor

See a provider within 24 hours for any bite that breaks the skin.

Call your provider or go to an emergency room if:

References

Eilbert WP. Mammalian bites. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 52.

Goldstein EJC, Abrahamian FM. Bites. In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 315.

Hunstad DA. Animal and human bites. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 743.

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Review Date: 4/16/2022  

Reviewed By: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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