Have you ever heard of hives? No, these are not the consequences of contact with the well-known stinging plant. This name was given to a rather unpleasant disease, which every person had to deal with at least once in a lifetime. 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 the memory of contact with nettles - blisters appear on the skin, which unbearably bake and itch. And today we are faced with the appearance of similar symptoms, even if the nettle has never been seen live.
Urticaria is the result of the body's reaction to certain stimuli, which may come from the environment or from within the body. It is difficult to call hives an independent disease; rather, it is a concomitant phenomenon of certain chronic conditions or a variant of an allergic reaction.
Onset of symptomshives 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 the 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 onset of the disease, characteristic irregularly shaped blisters appear on the skin. They rise above the skin and gather in groups of 4-6 pieces. Such a place is very itchy, no liquid is released from the blisters. After a few hours, they disappear without a trace, but immediately appear in several other places, taking their “brothers” with them. The process gradually generalizes, the itching becomes unbearable, the general condition worsens significantly.
Symptoms of urticaria in the 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 tissues, especially the respiratory tract, may develop.
Do not misdiagnose
A doctor can accurately identify urticaria based on 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 blisters. The rashes may be larger or smaller, but they are always irregular in shape, without pus or other fluids inside, palecolor.
- Migration. A typical manifestation of any type of urticaria is the independent convergence of rashes in one place and the appearance in another. No trace remains where the blisters disappeared.
- Itching. Urticaria rashes 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 the body's reaction to an external or internal negative factor. That is why the key to a successful recovery is the elimination of the causes of urticaria. Only after the removal of the irritating factor can an effective therapy be prescribed, which 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 topicals.
- Food. A reaction in the form of urticaria can occur acutely, immediately after eating a certain food, or may be the result of the accumulation of a certain substance in the body.
- Ambient temperature. The symptoms of hives may appear as a result of exposure to cold temperatures or excessive heat.
- Physical impact. Constant rubbing of the skin against clothing or accessories, unnatural fabrics of bed linen or clothing can cause hives. Also, physical effects include the presence of harmful substances on objects that are constantly in contact with the epidermis.
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. At the same time, it will be possible to completely get rid of itchy rashes only after treating the underlying disease, which led to such manifestations.
Acute and chronic forms
One should distinguish between forms of the disease, because the severity of symptoms, the nature of the course of the disease and the patient's lifestyle depend on it.
The most common is acute urticaria, when the symptoms of the disease appear sharply after a short period of time after contact with an allergen or other substance that causes the disease. Acute urticaria is common in children.
A feature of the acute form is the rapid course of the disease - with proper treatment, the symptoms disappear in two days, but the patient remains under the supervision of a doctor for two weeks after the disappearance of external symptoms.
The disease has a chronic form if the cause of urticaria cannot be completely excluded from the patient's life. For example, chronic urticaria on the hands is manifested as a result of constant contact with detergents, rashes over the body - a response to abnormalities in the liver, and so on. This form of the disease requiresa thorough examination, lifestyle modification and diet.
Disease types
Depending on the factor provoking the recurrence of rashes, doctors distinguish several main types of urticaria:
Sunny. Rashes appear after skin exposure to ultraviolet rays
- Cold. Low temperatures provoke blistering of the skin, especially in those areas that are most exposed to cold - hands, face.
- Thermal. Urticaria occurs as a result of a person being in an environment with an elevated temperature.
- Physical or delayed. Blisters appear several hours after a strong physical impact on the skin (for example, carrying a heavy bag on the shoulder, a tight belt, sitting in an uncomfortable position).
- Demographic. This name was given to a kind of urticaria, in which a rash appears after mechanical damage to the skin, even minor.
- Professional. The rash occurs after constant contact with specific equipment such as a jackhammer, certain machines, and others.
Classification according to international standards
According to the international classification of diseases ICD-10, urticaria has the code L50. Depending on the varieties of the disease, each subspecies has its own code:
- allergic – L50.0;
- idiopathic – L50.1;
- caused by temperature changes (exposure to low or high temperatures) – L50.2;
- dermatographic – L50.3;
- vibrating – L50.4;
- cholinergic – L50.5;
- contact – L50.6;
- other types of urticaria – L50.8;
- unspecified – L50.9.
Principles of treatment
The treatment of such a disease should be comprehensive - only an external ointment for urticaria will not help.
Pronounced symptoms are a consequence of the production of large amounts of histamine, which can also lead to tissue swelling and difficulty breathing (Quincke's edema). Therefore, the first step in the appearance of symptoms of urticaria in children and adults is to take antihistamines at the dosage indicated on the package.
Further 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 a rash was provoked by an external factor, it must be excluded (from the diet or contact), and the patient is prescribed sorbent preparations, lacto- and bifidobacteria to normalize the intestinal microflora. Within two weeks after the appearance of rashes, the patient is shown a sparing diet. For urticaria, fasting with plenty of fluids for 2 days is also recommended.
The chronic form, in addition to the above measures, requires a thorough examination of the body and treatment of pathological processes that can provoke a recurrence of rashes.
What is the danger of inaction?
Incorrect diagnosis and untimely assistance in acutehives can lead to airway edema and death. Therefore, it is so important to determine the presence of the disease, its severity in time and seek medical advice.
The lack of proper treatment of the disease, the removal of only 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
Urticaria is very common in children under 5 years old - the digestive and excretory systems are still immature, and a small amount of the allergen is enough to develop an acute reaction. Most often, babies suffer from an acute form of urticaria, which, with the right treatment, disappears in 2-3 days.
In the ICD-10, neonatal urticaria is separated from other types and has the code P83.8. It is caused by an allergic factor that comes to the child from the mother during pregnancy (medication, nutrition). Therefore, this type of urticaria does not require specific treatment.
Not drugs alone: alternative treatments
Only antihistamines will help relieve acute symptoms quickly. In some severe cases, they must be administered intramuscularly and under medical supervision.
But when the urticaria does not cause acute discomfort, has an annoying chronic form, and the constant use of drugs is not inspiring at all, you can reconsideryour approach to treatment. The following simple recommendations will help with this:
- Therapeutic starvation. From one to three days, refrain from eating, drinking a large amount of liquid - at least two liters per day.
- Drinking mode. Drinking enough pure drinking water will speed up the elimination of toxins from the body and reduce the number of breakouts.
- Diet. A diet for hives is a must. The degree of its severity is determined by the doctor or the patient himself, knowing the characteristics of his body.
- Decoctions of herbs. Ingestion of warm infusions of medicinal herbs - chamomile, safflower, linden, elderberry and others, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and relieve chronic inflammation.
- Physical activity. A sufficient amount of motor activity during the day allows you to normalize metabolism and accelerate the removal of toxins from the body.
Lifestyle and urticaria
A diagnosis of hives once made (even in childhood) can permanently affect a person's lifestyle. And not only in a negative way, because it only means that you need to be more careful and attentive to everything that surrounds you in everyday life.
A tendency to hives should convince you to avoid chemically processed foods, beautiful but unhe althy sweets, alcohol.
Household chemicals should be selected taking into account the characteristics of the body, it is better to give preference to organic products intendedfor kids.
Keep a close eye on your he alth when you try something new - medicine, vitamins, foods, washing powder. Such control will allow you to quickly identify and exclude the allergenic agent when urticaria appears.
Be mindful of your he alth and your surroundings, and hives will never get you into serious trouble!
