Why do lips swell with urticaria?

Sausage mouth is often seen on TV, but although it is rare in daily life, it is a real thing that can happen. For most people, sausage mouth is caused by urticaria. In fact, a big mouth is generally caused by allergies. If this happens, we must go to the hospital in time to check the cause of the allergy, cooperate with the doctor, and actively treat it. The following is a detailed introduction to why lips swell due to urticaria.

Why do lips swell with urticaria?

1. Urticaria is first caused by contact with the plant nettle, which causes a burning sensation and swelling of the skin. In fact, there are many reasons: food, drug allergies, temperature, pressure, exercise, sunlight, environment and other factors may cause a series of allergic manifestations on the skin, leading to dilation of small blood vessels in the skin and mucous membranes and increased permeability, thus manifesting as wheals or angioedema.

2. Most cases of urticaria manifest as reddish or pale flaky wheals or papules that bulge on the skin, which folks call "qifan"; wheals usually appear and disappear quickly, usually disappearing within 24 hours, but new ones will appear again. The itching is usually severe, seriously affecting the patient's sleep and work.

3. In a few cases of urticaria, angioedema may occur, as in the patient in the picture above. Angioedema may occur with wheals or alone.

4. Angioedema also occurs suddenly and usually disappears within 72 hours. It usually occurs in the lips, eyelids, tongue, foreskin and scrotum; the tissues in these areas are loose, so after an allergic reaction occurs, fluid seeps out of the dilated blood vessels, easily causing the skin in these areas to swell severely and become hard, so the patient will feel pain.

5. Urticaria is prone to recurring, and the treatment process is complicated and lengthy and cannot be cured, but patients should also actively seek treatment to improve their quality of life to the greatest extent possible.

A. First of all, avoid allergens. For many patients, allergens are not easy to find. On the one hand, you need to pay more attention to observation in daily life and record the foods and drugs you are sensitive to, such as various seasonings, food additives, etc., and avoid them if you are suspicious. On the other hand, the results of allergy tests can be used as a reference, but this is also limited.

B. Secondly, taking medicine is also key. The second-generation antihistamines (such as cetirizine and loratadine) are the first choice. The effects of various drugs vary from person to person, so we must "adapt to local conditions." For example, when the first-choice drug is ineffective, you can choose to use the first-generation antihistamine in combination.

C. If it is still ineffective, you can choose oral or injectable corticosteroids. Although long-term use has relatively large side effects, it is generally not recommended. However, for acute urticaria or acute onset of chronic urticaria, short-term use of glucocorticoids can help shorten the course of the disease, but treatment must be carried out under the guidance of a doctor;

D. Other methods include oral cyclosporine and immunoglobulin injection, but the former has greater adverse reactions and can be tried when any antihistamine drug is ineffective.