To investigate the role of sympathetic postganglionic neurons in inflammatory pain induced by bee venom (BV)

Bee venom acupuncture (BVA) is an effective treatment for chronic low back pain (CLBP) through the pharmacological effects of bee venom and the simultaneous stimulation of acupoints. However, evidence of its efficacy and safety in humans remains unclear. Using a double-blind, randomized study, 54 patients with non-specific CLBP were assigned to the BVA and sham groups. All participants underwent six sessions of real or sham BVA for 3 weeks, in addition to administration of 180 mg of loxonin per day. The primary outcome, that is, “bothersomeness” derived from back pain, was assessed using the visual analog scale. Secondary outcomes included pain intensity, dysfunction related to back pain (Oswestry Disability Index), quality of life (EuroQol 5-Dimension), and depressive mood (Beck's depression inventory). Outcomes were evaluated every week during the treatment period and followed up at weeks 4, 8, and 12. After 3 weeks of the treatment, significant improvements were observed in the bothersomeness, pain intensity, and functional status in the BVA group compared with the sham group. Although minimal adverse events were observed in both groups, subsequent recovery was achieved without treatment. Consequently, our results suggest that it can be used along with conventional pharmacological therapies for the treatment of CLBP ¹⁾.

The neurological complications of bee venom poisoning vary from optic neuritis to pontine hematoma. However, to our best knowledge, trigeminal neuropathic pain secondary to bee sting has not been reported previously in the literature. We report the case of a 52-year-old male patient with right-sided trigeminal neuropathic pain that began a month earlier, following a honeybee sting to the right forehead. The patient was successfully treated by CT-guided percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy. The present report demonstrated that a honeybee sting may result in trigeminal neuropathic pain and CT-guided percutaneous trigeminal tractotomy is effective in the treatment of such cases ²⁾.