U.S. deaths from hornet, wasp, and bee stins tracked from 2011 to 2021

This observational study analyzed deaths from hornet, wasp, and bee stings in the United States from 2011 to 2021. The population included males and females across the country, but the total sample size was not reported. The exposure was defined as stings from these insects, with no specific comparator group identified. The primary outcome was the number of deaths attributed to these stings.

No specific results were reported, including the total number of deaths, demographic breakdowns, effect sizes, or statistical measures like p-values or confidence intervals. The direction of any trends over the 11-year period was also not provided. Safety and tolerability data related to the stings themselves were not part of this mortality analysis.

Key limitations include the purely descriptive, observational nature of the data, which prevents any causal inference about risk factors. The lack of reported absolute numbers, demographic details, and annual trends significantly restricts the clinical interpretation. Funding sources and potential conflicts of interest were not disclosed.

For practice, this report serves only as a high-level confirmation that these stings remain a cause of mortality in the U.S. It underscores the ongoing need for patient education about anaphylaxis recognition and epinephrine use in sensitized individuals, but it offers no new data to guide specific prevention or treatment strategies.