Urticaria: symptoms, causes, treatment

Urticaria is a type of skin condition in which blisters and itching appear on certain areas of the skin. At the beginning, the sores are located separately, and then everything merges together, forming an inflamed area. If the lesion is large in size, the body can react with high fever, chills and malfunctioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Types of urticaria

Speaking about the types of urticaria, it is worth noting:

• Solar - appears due to prolonged exposure to sunlight. One of the most common types and is diagnosed in every fifth person. A regularity has been noticed that women are most susceptible to ailment.
• Cold - occurs after exposure to low temperatures on the skin. It can be diagnosed regardless of age and gender, however, like the previous option, it is more often observed in middle-aged women. A rash can occur on snow, wind and rain. There have been cases when cold drinks and cold food, cool showers, drafts and other factors that contribute to a decrease in body temperature acted as provocateurs.
• Aquagenic - view ailment, which the appears when a person comes into contact with water. The aquagenic form of the disease is rare and much more common in adulthood. Among specialists, this ailment is often referred to as water allergy. The peculiarity of the disease is that it can progress, i.e. each time the symptomatology is more pronounced and manifests itself more often.
• Food - characterized by an incorrect reaction of the body to a particular product or products. Very often, food urticaria is detected in infants at moments introducing complementary foods, but older kids are not immune from it. As for adults, among them, food urticaria is much less common and mainly happens as a chronic ailment that occurs in the form of diseases of the internal organs of the digestive tract.
• Dermographic - urticaria, which occurs against the background of mechanical impact. Symptoms appear very quickly and disappear quickly as well. Often this type of disease is self-healing.
• Stressful - this type of urticaria is called neurogenic and psychogenic. Appears in the background severe stress and is expressed in characteristic rashes and itching.
• Cholinergic - development occurs due to stress, the action of high temperatures, with profuse sweating.
• Idiopathic (chronic) type - the symptoms of this type do not go away for a month and a half and is the most common type of skin disease. In children, this type is diagnosed less often than adults, and among all those with urticaria, this type is diagnosed in 40%. And women are more prone to the idiopathic appearance.

Urticaria symptoms

The symptoms of urticaria have their own characteristics, depending on what type of disease occurs.

Solar urticaria. The onset of symptoms is noted after a person prone to it has been under the sun's rays for 15-20 minutes. If the time spent in the sun is less than indicated, then the symptoms are usually absent. The longer the patient stays in the sun, the more actively the symptoms are expressed. Blisters with this type of disease are small and no more than a few millimeters in diameter. However, in rare cases, they may increase up to two centimeters. The blisters are predominantly pink in color with a red outline. As in other cases, the rash is accompanied by itching. As soon as the sun stops acting on the skin, the blisters subside after a few hours. A rash occurs on the skin, which was not protected by clothing in the sun, or if the body was covered with a light fabric like chiffon. However, sometimes, much less often, in addition to blisters, other symptoms may also appear:

• vomiting and an attack of nausea;
• a feeling of general malaise;
• lack of air;
• heat.

Cold urticaria... The basic symptom of this type is an itchy rash. The slow and immediate shape is determined based on the time of year. In the first case, blisters appear about ten hours after contact with the irritant, in the second case, the rash appears immediately. Blisters range in size from small flat blisters to severe spot sizes. In addition to blisters and blemishes, severe itching is present. Frequent lesions are the cheeks, neck and arms. There are also lesions on the inner thighs, calves and under the knees. If the duration of contact with the cold was significantly long, then other symptoms may appear:

• pressure surges;
• back pain;
• dizziness;
• swelling in the oral mucosa and tongue;
• attacks of nausea and vomiting;
• dyspnea.

Aquagenic urticaria. This type of ailment in its symptoms is somewhat different from other forms of urticaria. Places on the body that had contact with water begin to itch, and the itching only gets stronger over time. For some categories of citizens, all the symptoms are just itching. In others, besides him, after a while, a rash appears in the form of red spots, which outwardly may resemble burns. If contact has occurred with the whole body, as is the case, for example, when bathing, then the rash occurs on the most sensitive areas: bends in the elbows and knees, neck, inner thighs. The disease is accompanied by severe dryness of the dermis, which aggravates the itching. As the skin loses its elasticity, cracks appear on it, which can cause infections. Otherwise, aquagenic urticaria is manifested by migraines, discoloration of the mucous membranes of the eyes and cough.

Food variety. In children, the onset of urticaria occurs in the form of small sores that cause itching discomfort. The danger of the disease is that it can be complicated more often than other forms. Quincke's edema, but more often it is noted in adults. The victim's cheeks, lips and larynx are swollen. A frequent symptom of the disease is called a disorder in the work of the digestive system, which applies to all ages of patients. Complaints include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and urge to vomit.

Dermographic urticaria. Basic symptoms this shape- the occurrence of sores of a linear type, which arise immediately after a mechanical effect has occurred on the body of an individual. Wardrobe details often turn out to be an irritant - pulled belts, tight collars, etc. Such dermographism can be immediate and delayed. In the first case, the reaction appears immediately, in the second, the symptomatology makes itself felt only if the stimulus is exposed for a long time. The difference between blisters in the dermographic form of the disease in a light shade, and nearby skin covering can be pink to burgundy. It happens that dermographic urticaria does not appear in the form of blisters, but as stripes of a white tint, without any hint of redness. As edema occurs, the blisters bulge strongly above the body. As in other species, there is severe itching, which becomes worse in the late afternoon. An increase in itching can occur against the background of an increase in body and air temperature.

Stress urticaria. Stress urticaria is characterized by the appearance of sores on the skin of an impressive size, which merge together, covering large areas of the body. Some formations have a rounded or oval shape, but when merged, a clear shape is not traced. The color palette of bubbles varies from white to pinkish, and there is a combination of these two colors at once. This formation is always characterized by itching. In some cases, after a short time, edema may develop, which will affect the gastrointestinal tract and throat, which manifests itself in pain, difficulty breathing and swallowing. With the spread of edema to the organs of the digestive tract, nausea and the urge to vomit, abdominal pain and upset stools may appear.

Cholinergic variety. The basic symptom of this type of disease is a rash, which is accompanied by small and itchy blisters. A rash appears five to ten minutes after the provoking factor has occurred. The rash predominantly covers the neck, arms and chest, and the duration can be limited to a few minutes or stretch out for hours. There are cases when the rash may or may not appear at all, or be so small that the person does not notice it at all, then the symptom is simply itching, which torments after body contact with hot water or after going to the sauna.

Chronic (idiopathic) type. In a chronic type of urticaria, the rash is not so profuse, the blisters are flat and protruding above the skin, have a clear shape and edges. In appearance, the blisters are somewhat reminiscent of insect bites, with a diameter of a couple of millimeters to several centimeters. Initially, the color is closer to red, but then may become lighter. Itching appears and over time, the formations can merge together. The rash itself often appears for no reason. Against the background of general symptoms, it can be noted almost imperceptible increase body temperature, nausea and urge to vomit. In addition to persistent rashes, puffiness and hyperpigmentation may appear.

Urticaria causes

Like symptoms, causal relationship  emergence urticaria depends on its type.

Solar urticaria. The occurrence is due to the influence of substances that increase sensitivity to sunlight. To date, experts identify internal and external factors that cause illness. If we talk about external ones, then these are certain chemical components that can sometimes be seen in the composition of cosmetics and medical formulations, which in contact with the dermis. It can be a variety of deodorants, moisturizers and nourishing creams, formulations designed to care for problem skin. Perfumes and eau de toilette can also cause hives under the sun, especially those containing sandalwood, lavender and vanilla esters. It is possible to determine that solar urticaria has arisen due to the influence of external factors by the nature of the rash, since in this case the lesions are more pronounced and have clear boundaries. Internal factors include existing problems with internal organs, such as the kidneys, thyroid gland and liver. Internal provocateurs are also taking certain medications, including:

• contraceptive;
• antidepressants;
• tetracycline antibiotics;
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

As doctors say, urticaria, which occurs for internal reasons, is symmetrical on the dermis.

Cold urticaria... Today, modern medicine cannot give an exact answer why this type of disease appears, what exactly pushes the body to such a reaction. The most common opinion on this matter is considered to be that the main provoking factor is hereditary predisposition, which is explained by a congenital anomaly in the structure of protein in the human body. Under the influence of protein, a certain structure is formed, which is recognized by the immune system as a foreign body, which provokes the manifestation of the disease.

Aquagenic urticaria. It should be understood that such a reaction of the skin does not occur to the water itself, but to the chemical compounds that it contains, so a negative reaction may occur not to any water, but for example, only to snow or rain, sea or river water. There were cases when a similar type of ailment manifested itself in people on their own sweat. It is difficult to say which water will cause hives, which seriously complicates a person's life. According to experts, the reasons may be:

• chronic kidney and liver diseases;
• lack of vitamin E in the body;
• poor immunity, especially while taking medications.

Food variety. In medical practice, there are a number of allergenic products that are most likely to cause this form of urticaria. Often these are chicken eggs, cocoa products and chocolate, citrus fruits, cow's milk, nuts, fruits and berries of a red color. It should also be said about foods that do not cause food urticaria on their own, but can seriously aggravate existing symptoms. These are coffee, alcohol and spicy food. The components of the composition that increase the shelf life of products or improve the taste and color, i.e. all E-shki.

Dermographic urticaria. Doctors cannot name specific factors that may entail an ailment, but there are circumstances in which the risk of dermographic urticaria increases, these are: thyroid disease, genetic predisposition, gastrointestinal ulcers, physical and psychological exhaustion.

The stressful variety. As soon as a person gets into a state of stress, his body begins to incorrectly recognize the impulses produced by the nervous system. Under such a negative effect, the vessels expand, the permeability of the vascular walls increases, due to which a lot of fluid enters the tissue, and this already causes blisters, which also begin to itch. Often diagnosed during puberty and in women. For many with this type of ailment, similar character traits can be noted, in particular, increased irritability, emotional instability, and irascibility. The situation is aggravated by third-party factors, such as physical activity, problems at work and in personal life. The risk factor is made up of people who have heart, digestive and genital diseases. If you do not cure this urticaria, then it is highly likely to go into a chronic stage.

Cholinergic variety. People suffering from gastritis, hepatitis and other diseases of the digestive tract are prone to the development of this form of the disease. In addition, excessive psychological and physical stress, prolonged stay in the bath, sauna and under the sun, as well as stress can lead to the appearance of cholinergic urticaria.

Chronic (idiopathic) type. The causes of the appearance of idiopathic urticaria are unknown, therefore it is a rather complex disease, because the cause itself cannot be eradicated if it is unknown. The duration of the course of the disease can be up to five years. The older the age, the higher the likelihood of its occurrence. A permanent and recurrent form is distinguished, and in the first case, the blisters do not leave the body at all, and in the second, a period of remission is observed.

What hives look like

Diet for urticaria

If we talk about the forms of the disease, then:

• In case of acute urticaria, clean foods are encouraged in the diet, i.e. without any additives, fermented milk products, cheeses, diet meats, cereals, yellow and green apples, vegetable and butter oils, whole grain bread, pears, white currants, gooseberries, cabbage.
• With chronic urticaria, the selection of a diet is complicated, since the disease often manifests itself as a symptom or consequence of a disease of internal organs, so you first need to identify what exactly hurts. Often on a diet for chronic urticaria, chicken meat, beef (only boiled and baked), vegetables, pasta, cereals, butter, fruits and berries, only non-acidic, vegetarian soups are used. But fatty varieties of both meat and fish, mushroom soups, radishes, sorrel, spinach and radish, spicy and canned foods are strictly prohibited. Confectionery with creams, chocolates, alcohol, caffeinated drinks are also unacceptable.

The diet for urticaria lasts at least a month, or until the ailment completely disappears. Only after such improvements will it be possible to gradually introduce into the diet previously prohibited foods in very small quantities. If, after the introduction of a specific product, a relapse occurs, then it is excluded from the diet at all. For high-quality accounting, experts advise keeping a kind of diary in which you need to write down what was eaten and how the body reacted to the product.

Is urticaria contagious

Urticaria is the body's reaction to an allergen, the development is not accompanied by the presence of infections and bacteria, so this type of skin disease is not contagious. But there is one "but". Sometimes urticaria can act as a symptom or consequence of a completely different disease, which is of an infectious nature, and the internal disease itself can be contagious, so if you do not know exactly what triggered the urticaria, it is better not to contact the sick person closely.

Urticaria treatment

Treatment is prescribed only after the cause of the disease is identified, and the therapy itself is organized in two directions. The first direction is:

• a hypoallergenic diet is prescribed;
• drinking a lot of water in order to remove allergens from the body;
• protect contact with factors, which became the starting impetus for the onset of the disease;
• establishment of optimal temperature conditions, elimination of stress and minimization of physical and psychological stress;
• setting restrictions on the use of medications that provoke urticaria.

Since in the overwhelming majority of cases it is not possible to identify the cause of urticaria, experts focus on antihistamine drugs in treatment, which is the second direction in therapy. Such medicines show especially good effectiveness in case of urticaria, which makes the walls of blood vessels permeable. However, you cannot prescribe antihistamines yourself, since they have contraindications and side effects.

There is an option to get rid of the disease using natural remedies. Some recipes:

• To get rid of the unbearable itching with hives, you can use rosemary tincture. Prepare a liter of tincture and pour into the bath to the total amount of water. Sit in the healing liquid for about 20 minutes.
• If you are not allergic to stinging nettle, you can use it for treatment. Prepare the drink according to the instructions given by the manufacturer, and take it by mouth three to four times a day in a total of a couple of glasses.
• Rinse the dill and squeeze the juice out of it. In the resulting nectar, moisten a napkin and apply for half an hour to the affected areas.
• To get the juice, pass the meadow clover along with the grass and flowers through a meat grinder. Moisten gauze in juice and apply to lesions for half an hour.