Chronic urticaria treatment

Urticaria is a common skin disease in humans, and the incidence rate of urticaria in humans is quite high. People of any age may suffer from urticaria. Urticaria can usually be divided into two types: chronic urticaria and acute urticaria. Chronic urticaria, as the name suggests, is urticaria that develops slowly, so the treatment period of chronic urticaria is generally longer. So, what are the treatments for chronic urticaria?

Although chronic urticaria is a very common disease, it is also very difficult to treat. Moreover, many patients with chronic urticaria often delay the treatment of the disease because they do not receive timely treatment or the treatment method is improper, and in many cases it will lead to worsening of the disease. So, let’s talk specifically about the treatment of chronic urticaria.

The cause of chronic urticaria is complex, the pathogenesis is unclear, treatment is difficult and the course of treatment is long. Correct treatment requires the following:

1. Find the cause

Ask about the medical history in detail, strive to find out the cause of each patient's illness, whether there is a family history of the disease, whether there is a history of acute or chronic infection, medication history, occupation, lifestyle habits and environmental changes, etc. Check blood, urine and stool routinely, and perform skin allergen test, ice test, acetylcholine skin test, serum IgE test and serum complement test as needed. Some patients need to undergo tests for HBV-DNA, thyroid antibodies, malignant tumors, etc.

2. Avoid triggering factors

For cold urticaria, pay attention to keeping warm; for acetylcholine urticaria, reduce exercise, sweating and mood swings; for contact urticaria, reduce the chance of contact, etc.

3. Use antihistamines

Most patients can achieve satisfactory results after treatment with antihistamines, but a few patients are more stubborn. For stubborn and intractable urticaria, the dosage can be increased or combined medication can be used. H1 receptor antagonists have strong anti-histamine and anti-other inflammatory mediator effects and are effective in treating all types of urticaria. Commonly used H1 receptor antagonists include diphenhydramine, cyproheptadine, chlorpheniramine, acrivastine, cetirizine, mizolastine, loratadine, ebastine, azelastine and desloratadine. Two different types of H1 receptor antagonists can be used together or in combination with H2 receptor antagonists (cimetidine, ranitidine). Antalol has strong antihistamine, anticholine and sedative effects, and is also very effective in relieving itching. It is effective for acute, chronic urticaria and cold urticaria. Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant mainly used to treat depression and anxiety neurosis. This drug also has strong anti-H1 and H2 receptor effects. It is particularly effective for chronic urticaria and has fewer side effects. Doxepin is a better choice of drug for patients with urticaria who are not responsive to traditional antihistamines.

4. Choose drugs that inhibit mast cell degranulation

Ketotifen inhibits mast cell degranulation and prevents the release of inflammatory mediators by increasing the concentration of cAMP in the body. Its inhibitory effect is stronger and faster than that of sodium cromoglycate and it can be taken orally. Tranilast reduces histamine release by stabilizing mast cell membranes.

It can be seen that there are many treatments for chronic urticaria, and they are also very systematic. But as mentioned above, the treatment of chronic urticaria is a relatively long process, so our patients with chronic urticaria must have patience and confidence, because chronic urticaria can definitely be cured through their own persistent treatment.