Jellyfish Sting: Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

The following symptoms and complaints may indicate a jellyfish sting:

• Skin lesions:
  • Swelling of the skin due to hives (hives, hives).
  • Painful, itchy area that can develop into blisters
  • Possibly blistering and scarring
  • Possibly necrosis (= death of cells / cell death).
• Pain: if immediately extremely excruciating pain → think of Portuguese galley (Physalia physalis).
• Mild intoxication (poisoning): Mediterranean jellyfish (fire and luminous jellyfish), North Sea and Baltic Sea jellyfish.
• Severe intoxication:
  • Cube jellyfish (Cubomedusae; synonym: sea wasp): hemolysis (dissolution of erythrocytes/red blood cells) → hyperkalemia (excess potassium) → asystole (complete cessation of electrical and mechanical cardiac action for more than 2 seconds)/death.
  • Nausea, vomiting (when large amounts of toxins have entered the body).
  • Anaphylactic shock in weakened people or allergic people due to the Portuguese galleon.
  • Respiratory arrest and cardiac failure within 10 minutes due to cube jellyfish

For symptoms of anaphylactic shock, see “Anaphylactic shock” below.

Note: Anaphylaxis (potentially life-threatening systemic immune reaction) is possible with all jellyfish species!