What is urticaria?

In life, we occasionally see people around us with skin covered with small red spots and blisters. They may be suffering from urticaria. Simply put, urticaria is a type of skin disease, which can be mild or severe. Mild cases may be accompanied by skin itching, while severe cases may endanger the patient's life. Next, I will give you a detailed introduction to this type of skin disease.

To talk about what urticaria is, we have to start with the cause of urticaria. The cause of urticaria is very complicated, and about 3/4 of patients cannot find the cause, especially chronic urticaria. The common causes include: food and food additives; inhalants; infection; drugs; physical factors such as mechanical stimulation, cold and heat, sunlight, etc.; insect bites; mental factors and endocrine changes; genetic factors, etc.

Clinical manifestations

The basic lesion is the appearance of wheals on the skin. The skin often itches first, followed by the appearance of wheals, which are bright red or pale, skin-colored. A few patients have edematous erythema. The size and shape of the wheals vary, and the onset time is uncertain. The wheals gradually spread and merge into sheets. Due to edema of the dermal papillae, the openings of the epidermal hair follicles can be seen sunken downward. The wheal lasts from several minutes to several hours, and in some cases it can last for several days before disappearing without leaving any trace. The rash occurs repeatedly in batches, mostly in the evening. Wheals are often generalized but may also be localized. Sometimes it is accompanied by angioedema, and occasionally bullae form on the surface of the wheal.

Some patients may experience nausea, vomiting, headache, head swelling, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Severe patients may also have systemic symptoms such as chest tightness, discomfort, pale complexion, accelerated heart rate, weak pulse, low blood pressure, and shortness of breath.

Because the causes of urticaria vary, the treatment effects are also different. The specific treatment measures are as follows:

(1) Eliminate the cause. Every patient should strive to find the cause of the attack and avoid it. If the cause is infection, the infected lesions should be treated actively. If the allergy is caused by drugs, the allergy medication should be stopped; if the allergy is caused by food, find out the allergic food and do not eat this food again.

(2) Avoid inducing factors. For example, for cold urticaria, you should keep warm; for acetylcholine urticaria, you should reduce exercise, sweating and mood swings; for contact urticaria, you should reduce the chance of contact.