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What are the symptoms of a human bite?

What problems can human bites cause?

What should I do if someone bites me?

How do doctors treat a human bite?

Bites and Stings

Animal Bites

Bee, Wasp, Hornet, and Ant Stings

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

The lips undergo changes with aging, as do all parts of the body. Some changes may indicate a medical issue; others are harmless. As people age, the lips tend to become thinner. Deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals can lead to inflammation of the lips (cheilitis), causing them to become red, cracked, painful, swollen, and/or scaly. Deficiency of which of the following vitamins or minerals can cause these symptoms?

Iron
Vitamin D
Thiamin
Vitamin C

Human Bites

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Last full review/revision Sep 2019

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Human bites are usually painful and leave bruises or teeth marks on your skin
Infected bites are painful, red, and swollen
If you punch someone in the mouth and get a cut on your knuckles, that's considered a human bite (a "fight bite")
"Fight bites" to your fist usually leave a small, straight cut over a knuckle—if a finger tendon (tissue connecting the muscle and bone) is cut, you may have a hard time moving that finger

Human bites usually cause only bruises and shallow cuts. However, if someone bites a small part, such as your ear, nose, finger, or penis, they can bite it off.

You're very unlikely to get HIV if you're bitten by someone with HIV—there isn't much HIV virus in saliva (spit)
You might get hepatitis if you're bitten by someone who has the disease
“Fight bites” often become infected because mouth germs can become trapped deep inside your hand

You should quickly clean out your wound.

Clean your wound with lots of soap and water
Don't put alcohol, iodine, or any other kinds of antiseptics in your wound
See a doctor if the skin is broken open

If a body part is bitten off:

Wrap any bitten off parts in a clean, damp towel
Put them in a plastic bag
Put that bag in another plastic bag with ice in it

Don't put body parts in water or directly on ice.

If a human bite tears your skin, doctors will:

Flush out the bite area with sterile saline (germ-free salt water)
Clean your wound with soap and water
Sometimes, close the bite with stitches
Give you antibiotics to stop infection
If you have a fight bite that's infected, give you medicine through an IV (into your vein)

Your doctor will ask you questions about the person who bit you. Your answers may help the doctor decide whether you need medicine to prevent any diseases spread by biting.

Sometimes doctors can reattach a severed body part.

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Bee, Wasp, Hornet, and Ant Stings

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Insect Bites

Human Bites

Mite Bites

Animal Bites

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