Have you heard of urticaria? No, these are not the consequences of contact with a well-known burning plant. This name received a rather unpleasant disease, which at least once in a lifetime every person had to face. What you need to know about this disease, what are the symptoms of urticaria and how to act when it appears - we will analyze the problem in more detail.
Is the nettle to blame?
The active childhood of today's adults forever left a memory of contact with nettles - blisters appear on the skin that unbearably bake and itch. And today we are faced with the appearance of similar symptoms, even if nettles have never been seen live.
Urticaria is the result of the body's reaction to certain irritants that can come from the environment or from within the body. It is difficult to name urticaria as an independent disease; it is, rather, a concomitant phenomenon of certain chronic conditions or a variant of an allergic reaction.
The appearance of urticaria symptoms can bring significant discomfort, and ignorance of general information about such manifestations is fraught with serious complications.
Signs and characteristic symptoms of the disease
In order to start treatment of urticaria in a timely manner, it is necessary to have basic information about the first signs and features of the course of this disease.
At the beginning of the disease, characteristic blisters of irregular shape appear on the skin. They rise above the skin and gather in groups of 4-6 pieces. This place is very itchy, fluid from the blisters does not stand out. After a few hours, they disappear without a trace, but immediately appear in several other places, taking with them "brothers." The process is gradually generalized, itching becomes unbearable, the general condition worsens significantly.
Symptoms of urticaria with a progressive form of rashes are also headache, chills, fever. The processes occurring in the body are similar to an allergic reaction, and if measures are not taken in time, then serious complications such as swelling of the tissues, especially the respiratory tract, may develop.
Do not make a mistake in the diagnosis
The doctor will be able to accurately determine the urticaria on the basis of a visual examination. However, if it is not possible to immediately contact a specialist, it is worth knowing the main distinguishing features of this disease.
- The nature of the blisters. Rashes can be larger or smaller, but they are always irregular in shape, without pus or other fluids inside, pale in color.
- Migration. A typical manifestation of any type of urticaria is an independent convergence of rashes in one place and the appearance in another. There are no traces left at the place where the blisters disappeared.
- Itching Rashes with hives are very itchy, which will distinguish it from an allergic rash.
Timely attention to such symptoms will minimize the risk of complications and adequate treatment of urticaria.
Causes of the manifestation of the disease
Urticaria is a reaction of the body to an external or internal negative factor. That is why the key to successful recovery is the elimination of the causes of urticaria. Only after removal of the irritating factor can an effective therapy be prescribed that eliminates the external manifestations of the disease.
Among external or exogenous factors affecting the body that can provoke urticaria, the following can be distinguished:
- Medicines, including antibiotics, syrups and topical agents.
- Food. A reaction in the form of urticaria can occur acutely, immediately after the use of a certain product, or may be the result of the accumulation of a certain substance in the body.
- Ambient temperature. Symptoms of urticaria may occur as a result of exposure to low temperatures or excessive heat.
- Physical impact. The constant friction of the skin on clothing or accessories, unnatural fabrics of bed linen or clothing can cause hives. Also, the presence of harmful substances on objects that are constantly in contact with the epidermis can be attributed to physical influences.
Endogenous or internal factors lie in the systemic diseases of the body. Violation of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, autoimmune diseases, tumor processes - all this can cause urticaria. In this case, it will be possible to completely get rid of itchy rashes only after treatment of the underlying disease, which led to similar manifestations.
Acute and chronic forms
It is necessary to distinguish between the forms of the disease, because the degree of severity of symptoms, the nature of the course of the disease and the patient's lifestyle depend on this.
The most common is acute urticaria, when the symptoms of the disease sharply appear after a short period of time after contact with an allergen or other substance that causes the disease. Often there is acute urticaria in children.
The acute form is characterized by a rapid course of the disease - with proper treatment, the symptoms disappear in two days, but under the supervision of a doctor, the patient remains for two weeks after the disappearance of external symptoms.
The disease has a chronic form if the cause of the urticaria cannot be completely excluded from the patient's life. For example, chronic urticaria in the hands appears as a result of constant contact with detergents, rashes on the body - a response to violations in the liver and so on. This form of the disease requires a thorough examination, lifestyle correction and diet.
Types of disease
Depending on the factor provoking a relapse of rashes, doctors distinguish several main types of urticaria:
- Sunny. Rashes appear after exposure to the skin with ultraviolet rays.
- Cold. Low temperatures provoke the appearance of blisters on the skin, especially in those areas that are most susceptible to cold - hands, face.
- Thermal. Urticaria occurs as a result of a person being in an environment with a high temperature index.
- Physical or slow. Blisters appear several hours after a strong physical impact on the skin (for example, wearing a heavy bag on the shoulder, a tight belt, or sitting in an uncomfortable position).
- Demographic. This name was given to a variety of urticaria, in which a rash appears after mechanical damage to the skin, even minor ones.
- Professional. A rash occurs after constant contact with specific equipment, such as a jackhammer, certain machines, and others.
International Classification
According to the international classification of diseases, ICD-10 urticaria has the code L50. Depending on the types of disease, each subspecies is assigned its own code:
- allergic - L50.0;
- idiopathic - L50.1;
- caused by temperature changes (exposure to low or high temperatures) - L50.2;
- dermatographic - L50.3;
- vibration - L50.4;
- cholinergic - L50.5;
- contact - L50.6;
- other types of urticaria - L50.8;
- unspecified - L50.9.
Treatment principles
Treatment of such a disease should be comprehensive - only an external ointment from urticaria will not help.
Pronounced symptoms are a consequence of the production of a large amount of histamine, which can also lead to tissue edema and difficulty breathing (Quincke's edema). Therefore, the first measure for the appearance of urticaria symptoms in children and adults is the use of antihistamines in the dosage indicated on the package.
Further, the treatment is aimed at identifying the cause of the disease and its elimination, as well as restoring the normal functioning of the body. In the acute form of the disease, when the appearance of the rash provoked an external factor, it must be excluded (from the diet or contact), and the patient is prescribed sorbent drugs, lacto- and bifidobacteria to normalize the intestinal microflora. Within two weeks after the appearance of rashes, the patient is shown a sparing diet. When urticaria is also recommended therapeutic fasting with heavy drinking for 2 days.
The chronic form, in addition to the measures listed above, requires a thorough examination of the body and treatment of pathological processes that can provoke a relapse of rashes.
Why is inaction dangerous?
Incorrect diagnosis and untimely help with acute urticaria can lead to respiratory edema and death. Therefore, it is so important to determine in time the presence of the disease, its severity and seek the advice of a doctor.
The lack of proper treatment of the disease, the removal of only the acute first symptoms without a systematic approach can lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in the body and provoke the transition of urticaria from acute to chronic. And that in turn is much more difficult to treat and causes significant discomfort to the patient.
Urticaria in children and infants
In children under 5 years of age, hives are very common - the digestive and excretory systems are still immature, and a small amount of allergen is enough to develop an acute reaction. Most often, babies suffer precisely from the acute form of urticaria, which, with the right treatment measures, takes 2-3 days.
In ICD-10, hives of newborns are isolated separately from other species and have the code P83.8. It is caused by an allergic factor that gets to the baby from the mother during pregnancy (medication, nutrition). Therefore, this type of urticaria does not require specific treatment.
Not Single Medicines: Alternative Treatments
Only antihistamines can help relieve acute symptoms quickly. In some severe cases, they must be administered intramuscularly and under the supervision of a physician.
But when urticaria does not cause acute discomfort, has an annoying chronic form, and the constant use of drugs is not at all inspiring, you can reconsider your approach to treatment. This will help the following simple recommendations:
- Therapeutic fasting. For one to three days, refrain from eating, drinking a large amount of liquid - at least two liters per day.
- Drinking mode. Drinking enough clean drinking water will speed up the removal of toxins from the body and reduce the number of rashes.
- Diet. Diet for urticaria is required. The degree of its severity is determined by the doctor or the patient himself, knowing the characteristics of his body.
- Decoctions of herbs. Ingestion in the warm form of infusions of medicinal herbs - chamomile, safflower, linden, elderberry and others, can improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and relieve chronic inflammatory processes.
- Physical activity. A sufficient amount of physical activity during the day allows you to normalize the metabolism and accelerate the removal of toxins from the body.
Lifestyle and urticaria
The diagnosis of “urticaria”, once made (even in childhood), can forever affect a person’s lifestyle. And not only in a negative way, because it means only that you need to be more thorough and attentive to everything that surrounds you in everyday life.
The tendency to the appearance of urticaria should convince you of the rejection of chemically processed foods, beautiful, but harmful sweets, alcohol.
Household chemicals should be selected taking into account the characteristics of the body, it is better to give preference to organic means intended for children.
Carefully monitor your health when you try something new - medicine, vitamins, foods, laundry detergent. Such control will quickly identify and rule out an allergenic agent when hives appear.
Be attentive to your health and environment, and hives will never cause you serious trouble!