Urticaria is a type of allergic skin disease that is popularly called hives. Urticaria, which develops as raised, reddened and fluid-filled rashes on the skin, can sometimes occur in a specific part of the body and sometimes spread throughout the body.
What is Urticaria?
Urticaria is commonly referred to as hives. It is a type of allergic skin disease called Urticaria, which develops in the form of raised, reddened and fluid-filled rashes on the skin, can sometimes occur in a certain part of the body and sometimes spread to the whole body. This situation, also called hives, can be caused by many different reasons. These rashes can cause severe itching.
Urticaria caused by simple allergies can usually heal spontaneously in a while if the problem area is not itchy and left to itself. However, urticaria caused by drug allergies or a disease in the body may persist for longer periods and gradually increase. In this case, it is very important to apply to a physician to determine the factor causing urticaria and to initiate necessary treatments for skin problems and underlying diseases. The resulting rashes may cause severe itching, and as they scratch, their number, swelling, redness and size may increase. Allergic skin rashes usually have a size of 1-2 millimeters. But in some cases it can have larger dimensions. There are two types of urticaria, acute and chronic.
Urticaria that lasts for six weeks or less is called acute urticaria, and urticaria lasting longer than six weeks is called chronic urticaria. Hives are usually triggered by an allergen that comes into contact with the skin. As a result of allergic reactions, histamine, a protein produced by the body, causes fluid leakage from the capillaries, causing fluid accumulation under the skin, and as a result, urticaria lesions occur.
Urticaria, which is a common health problem, has experienced at least once in their lifetime by almost 20% of all people.
What are the Symptoms of Urticaria?
The most important symptom of urticaria is red and itchy bumps on the skin. Although their size is very variable, they usually appear as multiple ridges of a few millimeters. The itching caused by these blisters, which can occur all over the body, is usually intensified at night. If they are long-term, it can also be exacerbated during the menstrual period in women.
Although it is quite rare, in some cases, blistering can also be seen. These lesions, which are formed in the form of blisters, usually heal and disappear within 24 hours if they are not touched by the person, leaving no traces. However, it can remain for a long time, especially if the contact with the external allergen is not interrupted or if it is caused by any medication or disease. Apart from these lesions, allergy-related swellings can be observed in the eyes, lips and earlobes.
In more severe cases, in addition to urticaria, symptoms that can affect the whole body such as nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, weakness, headaches, muscle and joint pains, dizziness and blackout, fainting, and diarrhea can be seen. If these symptoms are observed, health institutions should be consulted without losing time, since a serious allergic picture may be in question. It can occur due to any allergen acting internally. Basically, urticaria is caused by the release of histamine and some other substances from the skin surface when the body reacts to an allergen. Since the protein called histamine causes fluid accumulation and inflammation under the skin, the swellings seen in urticaria occur. There are many factors that can trigger urticaria.
Some of them are as follows:
- Use of blood pressure lowering drugs, aspirin, antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Dried fruits, shellfish Allergies to some foods, especially eggs, strawberries, wheat products
- Viral infections such as flu, colds, febrile illnesses and hepatitis B
- Sudden temperature changes
- Animal feathers
- Intestinal parasites
- Insects, insect bites and insect residues
- Pollen
- Latex
- such as thyroid diseases and systemic lupus erythematosus chronic diseases
- Sun rays
- Some fabrics and chemicals that come into contact with the skin
Acute Urticaria
Fifty percent of the time no cause can be found, and the remaining 50 percent is a very short period of time against allergens such as pollen, medicine, food, chemicals, fabric, dust, mites and animal dander. It is a type of urticaria. Urticaria, which is seen due to drugs, starts to appear approximately 36 hours after starting the drug. Antibiotics, especially penicillin, cephalosporins, tetracyclines and sulfonamides, are the most common drug allergies. In addition, one of the most common causes of acute urticaria is food allergies. Acute urticaria lasts no longer than 6 weeks, and improves rapidly with detection of the allergen and avoidance of exposure to it.
Chronic Urticaria
If the urticaria symptoms persist for more than 6 weeks, it means chronic urticaria. Among the potential triggers of chronic urticaria are drugs, nutrients and nutritional additives, infections, respiratory allergens, systemic diseases, pregnancy, menstrual period, dental implants and psychological factors.
Diagnosis of Urticaria. How is it diagnosed?
Regardless of whether it is acute or chronic, the diagnosis method is the same in all types of urticaria. It is much more useful for patients to apply to health institutions when there are urticaria symptoms in the form of red bumps. Since there may be different skin problems that can be confused with urticaria, these lesions continue. If a doctor is consulted while taking a call, the doctor can easily diagnose whether there is a real urticaria case by examining these bumps.
The patient's medical history is learned in detail. Listening to the medical history in urticaria is also very important in terms of detecting possible allergens. Some blood tests such as complete blood count, sedimentation rate, serum immunoglobulin and complement levels, autoantibody levels, thyroid function tests, serum proteins and electrophoresis, blood biochemistry are performed in patients diagnosed with urticaria.
In addition to these, skin tests and some diagnostic tests to search for foci of infection may be used in some patients. Allergy tests must be performed under the supervision of immunology specialists in specialized health institutions. After determining the physical and chemical stimuli, the treatment process for urticaria and the diseases that cause urticaria is initiated.
How to Treat Urticaria?
The main purpose in the treatment of urticaria is to determine the factor causing the allergy. After the allergy symptoms are observed in blood tests, triggering factors can be determined by applying allergy tests or by using the patient's medical history. After that, lifestyle changes are applied to help stay away from these allergens. In case of drug allergy, these drugs are discontinued or replaced with alternatives.
If there is urticaria caused by infection or chronic, systemic diseases, after the treatment for the lesions on the skin is recommended, the patient is directed to the relevant medical units for treatments for the underlying disease. The first priority in the treatment of urticaria is antihistamine drugs. In patients who start antihistamine drugs, if there is no response to the treatment, the dose can be increased. If this also does not work, anti-Ig-E injections (Omalizumab) may be recommended.
Omalizumab injection is a successful application in 80% of patients. However, cyclosporine and systemic steroid treatments may be preferred in patients who cannot be successful in this. Which of all these applications is necessary is decided as a result of the evaluations made by specialist physicians. If tic-like formations have appeared, you should immediately apply to a health institution and undergo an examination. As a result of the researches to be carried out by your doctor, you can start the necessary applications for the healing of urticaria on your skin, and if you have any underlying diseases, you can start the treatments for them.
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