Urticaria is a disease accompanied by the formation of blisters on the surface of the skin. This disease in the modern world is being diagnosed more and more often, so the issue of treating this disease is becoming more and more relevant. Let's talk about how and how urticaria is treated.
There is an opinion that urticaria is an allergic reaction to contact with certain substances. However, this is not quite true. Sometimes the disease is based on an autoimmune or pseudo-allergic nature. Therefore, hives cannot be considered a contagious disease, as is often thought.
Symptoms of the disease
Urticaria is characterized by the following symptoms:
- blistering or rash accompanied by intense itching;
- general malaise;
- may experience headache;
- temperature rising;
- tissue edema is observed;
- vesicles containing hemorrhagic exudate may appear;
- Pigment spots may form.
Rashes come in a variety of sizes, fromtiny dots to giant spots that can merge into one.
The acute form of urticaria lasts for several days, and the duration of the entire disease is at least 6 weeks. Acute urticaria can become chronic or relapsing. In this case, the rashes are transformed into papules, which are accompanied by severe itching.
Types of urticaria
There are several types of disease. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Cold Urticaria
An attack begins when a person's skin is exposed to low temperatures, such as cold water or air. The first signs appear in just a few minutes. Sometimes there may be weakness or headache, as well as shortness of breath and tachycardia. A variation of this type of disease is reflex urticaria, which develops not with general hypothermia of the body, but as a local reaction. The rash covers only the skin around the supercooled area of the body, while it itself remains intact.
Heat Urticaria
The disease manifests itself after overheating, in particular when visiting a bath. It appears as small bumps on the skin.
Physical tension urticaria
The factor that can provoke this type of disease is a large load. At the same time, blood vessels may swell, specific (whistling) breathing appears, and a sharp decrease in blood pressure is also possible.
Mechanical (dermographic) urticaria
This typethe disease develops as a result of skin irritation by mechanical action, for example, vibration can become a provocateur. The disease manifests itself in the form of small linear elevations in the affected area.
Solar Urticaria
It can be formed under the influence of sunlight. The attack passes a few hours after the person goes into the shade.
Contact urticaria
In the process of contact of the skin or mucous membranes with certain substances, an attack of this type of urticaria may develop. He is always accompanied by blisters, severe itching and burning. Quite often latex becomes a provocateur. This type of urticaria may be accompanied by anaphylactic shock.
Factors influencing the formation of the disease
There are a number of reasons that can provoke the development of urticaria. When can it occur?
- After using "forbidden" drugs for the body, which is accompanied by a corresponding reaction.
- After eating some "unwanted" foods, which can not but be reflected externally, in this case in the form of "patterns" on the skin.
- After being bitten by small insects that can provoke an allergic reaction (urticaria) by injecting their venom under the skin of a person. In most cases, these are bees and mites.
- It could be pollen that causes disease when inhaled.
- Increased sensitivity to sunlight, low temperatureair and other natural phenomena may also manifest as itchy hives.
- Dental caries, tonsillitis, adnexitis - diseases that are directly related to the occurrence of chronic urticaria.
- Hereditary genetic predisposition.
- Worm infestations - helminths.
- Direct contact with wool (animals, clothes).
- If we are talking about a child who is breastfed, then the cause of the manifestation of urticaria may be malnutrition of the mother.
In order to stabilize the patient's condition and prevent the form from changing into a more complex (acute), it is necessary to diagnose the disease itself in a timely manner. With prolonged contact with an allergen, a person experiences an excessive accumulation of intracellular proteases (cathepsins) in the body, which causes a protracted course of urticaria, that is, a chronic form of the disease. The most persistent is the papular form of urticaria. This is when the disease was not detected, and its treatment was not carried out, which was the reason for the formation of dense papules (nodules) of a red-brown color.
Treatment of urticaria in adults
How to treat urticaria in adults? Regardless of the course of the disease, treatment always begins with a change in diet. Possible allergens are excluded from the daily diet. Enterosorbents are prescribed for oral administration. A selection of such a complex of vitamins is carried out, which contains the necessary substances to maintain the normal functioning of the body.
In this case, the doctor usually prescribesascorbic acid, "Riboflavin", "Pyridoxine" and other medications. If the disease is accompanied by constipation, then laxatives and probiotics are prescribed.
Acute treatment
How is urticaria treated in adults in this case? In an acute attack of urticaria, the following treatment is prescribed:
- an anti-allergic drug that reduces vascular permeability and also increases their tone;
- Antihistamines to relieve itching;
- ointments containing glucosteroids or anesthesin, antiallergic gels.
If Quincke's edema develops, then adrenaline hydrochloride is injected subcutaneously to the patient. When choking, intravenous corticosteroids, as well as antihistamines and calcium chloride, are necessary. Additionally, the introduction of diuretics is necessary.
Treatment of the chronic form
A disease that has become chronic is quite difficult to treat. How is urticaria treated in adults with such a course of the disease?
Here, daily routine, diet, as well as the elimination of chronic infections require special attention. To diagnose the disease, a number of laboratory tests are prescribed to identify the source. Only after a comprehensive study, the doctor selects an individual treatment that not only relieves the symptoms of the underlying disease, but also eliminates concomitant disorders.
Drug therapy in this case includes:
- Desensitizing drugs. Patients are prescribed a solution of sodium thiosulfate in a course consisting of 15 injections. Injections must be done either daily or every other day.
- Antihistamines.
- In case of a severe course of the disease, glucocorticoid hormonal drugs are prescribed.
- If detoxification of the body is necessary, then hemosorption is prescribed.
- Medicines that can stimulate the adrenal glands.
Treatment of disease in children
There is no general answer to the question of how urticaria is treated in children. There is simply no single drug. The doctor can prescribe therapeutic treatment only after finding out the true reasons that caused such a reaction.
Most commonly used drugs and procedures
Although there is still a certain technique. So, how to treat hives in children?
The first remedy to be given to a baby during an attack is an antihistamine. Taking medications in this category allows you to stop the development of the disease, as well as improve the well-being of the child.
You can use ointments that include hormonal drugs. However, these drugs can only be used in case of severe development of urticaria, since in addition to an excellent therapeutic effect, the use of the ointment can give many adverse reactions.
The next thing they give the child are diuretics. This category of drugs speeds up the removal of fluid from the body, which helps to reduceswelling and, accordingly, improve the condition of a small patient. However, electrolytes are removed from the body along with the fluid, so it becomes necessary to monitor the quality of the blood.
Absorbents, having excellent absorbent qualities, remove all harmful substances from the body. And since urticaria is a manifestation of an allergic reaction that occurs almost immediately after the provoking substance enters the body, there is a possibility that it has not yet been completely absorbed, and it can be removed with an absorbent.
Sometimes a child needs plasmapheresis. During this procedure, the resulting allergic complexes are removed from the blood plasma. However, plasmapheresis is used only in very severe cases.
How is urticaria treated in children if it provoked the development of Quincke's edema
If Quincke's edema has begun to develop, then the following set of measures is carried out.
- Baby needs adrenaline solution.
- Then, the hormonal drug "Prednisolone" is administered intravenously.
- Antihistamine group is prescribed.
- Diuretics are also administered intravenously.
- In case of severe development, mechanical ventilation may be used.
Information on how urticaria is treated in hospitals has already been received enough. It's time to turn to traditional medicine.
Treatment of the disease with folk remedies
Let's talk about how they treathives in children folk remedies. There are a lot of therapy options, but remember, before using any prescription, you should consult with your doctor. How is urticaria treated in children using "grandmother's" methods?
Here are some effective recipes.
- Insist 4 tablespoons of peppermint in 300 ml of hot water. Take the infusion three times a day, 50 ml.
- Pour a glass of dry yarrow with a glass of boiling water, leave for 40 minutes. Take a decoction three times a day, one-third of a glass.
- An excellent natural diuretic is celery. The plant removes all excess fluid from the body. The root of the plant is ground on a grater, squeezed out the juice and take it one tablespoon before meals.
Folk methods of treatment act only as additional means, but cannot be a complete replacement for drug therapy. It is also necessary to make sure that the plant used will not become a source of allergies and will not aggravate the course of the disease. Now you know how to treat hives with folk remedies.
Be he althy!
