In our article, I would like to talk about the symptoms and treatment of urticaria. What is a disease? What factors cause the development of the disease? What are the first signs of urticaria? You can find answers to these and other questions by reading our material.
General information
According to the researchers of the problem, urticaria disease develops against the background of a significant increase in the concentration of histamine in the blood. A copious amount of the indicated organic compound begins to enter the body in cases where capillaries expand with an increase in their permeability. Given the mechanism presented, doctors agree that the disease is allergic in nature. Accordingly, urticaria is a kind of allergic reaction. Manifestations of the disease begin to make themselves felt in response to external stimuli that affect the human body.
It is worth noting that urticaria is an extremely common disease among people of different sex and age. According to statistics, about 35% of the population at least once in their life encounter such an unpleasant manifestation. Usually, urticaria in adults proceeds quite quickly and does not entail a serious health hazard. The illness causes much more suffering in children. Especially if you have to deal with a disease in a chronic form, in which treatment can last for years.
Causes of the disease
Before talking about the symptoms and treatment of urticaria, I would like to say a few words about the moments that can cause the development of the disease. Among the main causes contributing to the formation of the disease, doctors identify exogenous and endogenous factors. The first include exposure to the body of specific chemicals, temperature, as well as the use of certain food products, the use of certain pharmacological preparations in the form of antibiotics, serums.
If we talk about endogenous factors that can cause hives in adults and children, it is worth noting all kinds of pathological conditions of internal organs. Especially often, the disease develops against a background of impaired functioning of the liver and gastrointestinal tract. All this creates the basis for the development of allergic reactions.
Separately, it should be noted the likelihood of hives on nerve soil. Sometimes the cause is bites of blood-sucking insects, which lead to the ingestion of active chemical compounds like histamine into the body. A considerable number of clinical cases occur in parasitic infections.
Symptomatology
Considering the symptoms and treatment of urticaria, it should be noted that the first sign of the development of the disease is the appearance of a rash on the skin. The foci of the latter are formed rapidly and disappear just as quickly if the main cause of the problem is identified and appropriate treatment is prescribed.
With hives, the body is surrounded by numerous blisters. Such neoplasms on the skin have a pale pink tint. Rashes have a dense structure. According to the appearance, these manifestations are visually similar to burns that remain on contact with nettles, which is where the name of the disease comes from.
The appearance of blisters on the body makes a person periodically experience a feeling of quite severe itching. As a rule, discomfort is observed for several minutes, and then recedes for a while. The indicated manifestation of the ailment is often accompanied by a general malaise, feverish conditions, migraine attacks, etc.
Classification
Researchers of the problem distinguish the following types of disease:
- acute urticaria;
- Quincke's edema;
- physical urticaria;
- recurrent chronic urticaria;
- temperature urticaria;
- cholinergic urticaria.
Next, we consider each variant of the disease separately.
Acute urticaria
The disease in the presented form makes itself felt suddenly and is characterized by the appearance on the body of quite impressive foci of rash with elements of various sizes. Blisters that have a matte shade with a pink border begin to itch very much. Over time, the rash merges into extensive spots, after which the patient begins to suffer from chills. Discomfort is supplemented by fever, indigestion, general deterioration of well-being.
In acute urticaria, the foci of the rash encircle mainly the buttocks area. Blisters also cover the trunk, upper and lower limbs. Discomfort in the case of the development of the disease in this form persists for several days. Then the unpleasant sensations begin to recede, since irritating factors cease to have an impressive effect on the body.
Quincke's edema
The disease is known by the definition of "giant urticaria". In medical practice, the disease is also often called angioedema. What are the main pathological manifestations of such a violation? The disease is characterized by the sudden onset of puffiness of an organic nature on the skin and mucous membranes. The patient feels a constant itching, burning sensation. After a few hours, the swelling disappears. However, relapses are later noted.
The danger of such a disease is the high likelihood of swelling in the larynx, which can lead to asphyxia and stenosis. If the mucous membranes of the eye sockets are affected, visual impairment, profuse tearing, and other concomitant discomfort are often observed.
Physical urticaria
This type of disease is noted mainly in children. Doctors report cases of the occurrence of the disease mainly among babies at a very young age. The ailment is formed when various physical factors that cause skin irritation are exposed to the body. For example, such a disease can develop due to the use of too tight, compressing the body clothing.
Temperature urticaria
Blisters on the body, characteristic of the disease, can form with prolonged exposure to frost. A rash appears under the influence of this factor in the very few people whose body is keenly sensitive to changes in the temperature of the surrounding space. In this case, contact with cold water may cause blisters.
An illness of this type also includes specific reactions to exposure to solar heat. As a rule, the disease develops under the influence of this factor in adults. If a person is prone to the formation of this form of urticaria, in this case, when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, redness begins to appear on the skin. Then blisters and puffiness form.
Cholinergic urticaria
The disease in the presented form is diagnosed quite rarely. The problem is typical mainly for young people. The disease is accompanied by the appearance on the body of an abundant amount of small, severely itchy rashes. Nervous cholinergic urticaria develops when a person prone to the formation of an ailment is in a state of severe stress. Exacerbations can be observed after taking a hot shower, physical exertion.
Chronic urticaria
The disease develops in this form in cases when persistent foci of infection are formed in the body, for example, caries, tonsillitis, adnexitis, etc. are noted. Failures in the work of the liver and gastrointestinal tract also lead to the appearance of chronic urticaria.
The form of the disease is characterized by the appearance on the skin of minor, usually barely noticeable rashes. However, small foci of blisters are observed in various parts of the body. Against the background of such manifestations, a general malaise is felt. Often there are attacks of headache. Some patients begin to suffer from fever and discomfort in the joints. If blistering of the mucous membranes of the internal organs takes place, then nausea and the urge to vomit, digestive upset can occur.
What do people eat with urticaria?
In order to resolve the problem, it is important to change your daily diet. If you do not pay attention to this moment, you can aggravate the problem and provoke an exacerbation of the negative processes that occur in the body. In order to quickly get rid of discomfort, doctors recommend the use of hypoallergenic products. It's about switching to food that is not capable of causing allergic reactions.
What foods should be excluded from the diet to prevent the progress of urticaria? It is recommended to refuse the following:
- Foods high in fat.
- Spicy dishes and spices in general.
- Citrus fruits.
- Preservation.
- Chocolate.
- Carbonated drinks.
- Of alcohol.
The doctor will help determine the appropriate diet during the treatment of urticaria, based on the form of the disease, the nature of the course of the disease.
Diagnostics
Identification of the disease is not difficult. Doctors confirm the diagnosis based on typical patient complaints and characteristic clinical manifestations. In some cases, differential diagnosis of urticaria can be used, which allows you to determine a specific type of disease. For this, provocative tests are prescribed, as well as procedures, which make it possible to study the biochemical and hormonal parameters of the blood.
Drug therapy
What is the treatment for urticaria? Symptoms of the disease can be eliminated through the use of pharmacological preparations, the action of which is aimed at suppressing factors provoking an ailment. There is a wide range of medications that can be used in a complex systemic therapy. Effective medicines for urticaria are considered such drugs:
- "Cetirizine", "Diphenhydramine", "Loratadine" - antihistamines.
- "Unithiol", "Cocarboxylase", "Fenistil" - drugs whose action is aimed at eliminating discomfort.
- "Adrenaline hydrochloride" - is used as a medicine for urticaria, when there is a threat to human life due to the formation of puffiness.
If the course of the disease is severe, it often requires the detoxification of the body in a hospital. To do this, doctors prescribe glucose injections to patients, as well as procedures such as plasmapheresis, hemosorption.
Alternative methods of treatment
If a rash with urticaria occurs when allergens enter the body as part of medications, therapy involves the use of alternative methods. What herbal medicines can eliminate the symptoms of the disease, remove the sensation of itching and stop the spread of blisters? It is worth noting the following:
- Infusions based on thyme, lavender, oak bark, hops, yarrow.
- Compresses made from horseradish juice, grated potatoes, honey.
- Tea tree oil, sea buckthorn, lemon balm.
- Trays of nettle broth.
The above folk remedies are symptomatic. In other words, their use makes it possible to deal with a rash with hives. To determine the most effective solution allows a consultation with a doctor. Only a specialist can choose an effective method of traditional medicine, based on the general clinical picture of the course of the disease.