Sunjay Kapur: Can accidentally swallowing a bee always cause cardiac arrest? Doctor explains

Renowned businessman and actor Karisma Kapoor's former husband, Sunjay Kapur, passed away on Thursday after reportedly swallowing a bee accidentally during a polo game in England. While 'accidentally swallowing bees' can come across as a highly bizarre occurrence, such incidents have made headlines in the past too, many times. For example, a 22-year-old man from Bhopal died in 2023 when he swallowed a bee while drinking water, and it stung his tongue and food pipe. Similarly, in the same year, a professional rower tragically died after swallowing a bee when he was cycling in Brazil. In 2022, an Ohio man even went into a coma after he swallowed 30 bees after accidentally cutting into a nest. In 2022, Canadian politician Doug Ford famously swallowed a bee accidentally, on camera, while holding a press conference, though it didn't affect his health. How worried should you be if you accidentally swallow an insect? 

According to Dr Bobbi Pritt of the Mayo Clinic, while our body can generally digest insects like ticks, flies, fleas and mosquitoes, insects like bees, wasps, caterpillars and fire ants can trouble your health if swallowed. While eating just one bee might cause only mild pain and localised swelling, in general, if the person is allergic, it can also lead to swelling of the face, mouth, throat and breaking out in hives. It can also cause dizziness, difficulty in breathing, high blood pressure or even cardiac arrest. According to the Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Centre, if you have insect allergies and are bitten or stung in the mouth, you should immediately seek medical help. The healthcare shouldn't be delayed, especially if the patient has severe chest or abdomen pain, persistent coughing or irritation in the airways after swallowing the bug. 

Bee sting symptoms
1) The symptoms can range from mild swelling to severe allergic reactions. Most symptoms are minor, and the pain can go away on its own. However, burning pain, itching, flushing, a welt, or severe swelling that is getting worse needs medical care.
2) If there is anaphylaxis or a severe reaction, it can generally happen 15 minutes to an hour after the sting. This would require immediate attention.
3) You will have to perform skin and blood tests to measure how your body reacts to the venom. Follow the guidance of a healthcare professional. 
The tragic incident seems to have made many aware of how fatal a bee sting can be. As a result, searches for 'Sanjay Kapoor businessman' have crossed 2K on Google Trends in the past 12 hours.