What is Pruritus Urticaria?

Have you ever felt a strong desire to scratch your skin? If you feel it too often then you might be suffering from a  skin problem called Pruritus Urticaria.

Pruritus is a Latin word that literally means itch. Pruritus Urticaria is triggered by an unpleasant sensation, which causes the desire or reflex to scratch certain parts of the skin. If scratched viciously, rashes may outbreak on the skin and they may stay for sometime and cause pain.

To find out more about pruritus urticaria, read here and read my detailed article about the causes, symptoms and  precautions that you should keep in mind to stay free of this trouble

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Pruritus is a Latin word that literally means itch. Pruritus Urticaria is triggered by an unpleasant sensation, which causes the desire or reflex to scratch certain parts of the skin. If scratched viciously, rashes may outbreak on the skin, which may remain for some time and cause pain.

Itch has been classified as a type of sensory experience. Recently, modern science has shown that itch is similar to pain in many ways. While itch and pain are unpleasant sensory experiences, their behavioral response patterns are different. Furthermore, itch can originate in the peripheral nervous system or in the central nervous system.

Sometimes, pruritus urticaria has a connection to Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP), which is an uncommon, chronic, hives-like skin rash that strikes some women during  pregnancy. During this disease, urticarial papulars, which are solid elevations of skin with no visible fluid inside, outbreak. Their size may vary from the size of a pinhead to rashes large enough to cover a major portion of the body. Their color can be brown, purple, pink, or red. The patient should avoid scratching them as this could cause infection. General pruritus may complicate pregnancy.

One of the most common types of pruritus urticaria is aquagenic pruritus, which is characterized by the development of stern, prickling-like epidermal itching that is without observable skin lesions. It is usually provoked by contact with water.

Though there has been much progress in the pharmaceutical industry and there are many advanced drugs available for urticaria treatment, herbal treatment is still the first choice for most patients.

As your body is going through many chemical changes during pregnancy, abnormalities like pruritric urticaria are no surprise. However, you should take care when dealing with it, as it can affect your life as well as your baby’s life. Therefore, it is advisable to consult your doctor for proper treatment.

What does “Lupus Like Syndrome” mean?

Most of you might not have heard about this problem prior to reading my blog.

Lupus like syndrome is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity.

It is, actually, an autoimmune connective tissue disease, that can affect certain vital organs of the human body including the heart and lungs.

What actually happens here is just like any other autoimmune disease, our immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissues. This results in itching, inflammation and sometime tissue damage. In medical terms it is referred to as systemic lupus erythematosus which can also trigger urticaria in the long run.

If you want to learn more, read here for lupus like syndrome article.

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Lupus like syndrome is a category for a collection of diverse diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity. It is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that can affect the heart, lungs, or any other part of the body. As with other autoimmune diseases, our immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue, which results in itching, inflammation, and sometime tissue damage. In medical terms, it is referred to as systemic lupus erythematosus and can activate urticaria, sometimes chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Symptoms of lupus like syndrome can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. There are 4 main types of lupus – discoid lupus erythematosus, systemic lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus erythematosus, and neonatal lupus erythematosus. Systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common and serious form of this disease.

Lupus Like Syndrome Symptoms

Symptoms of these diseases can vary greatly; however, they usually affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs. Since there is a wide range of symptoms,  for a proper diagnosis, you must consult a doctor to diagnose this syndrome.

Hydralazine Lupus Like Syndrome

Hydralazine lupus like syndrome is a disease caused by continuously consuming hydralazine for more than six months. Hydralazine is a direct-acting, smooth muscle relaxant used to treat hypertension by acting as a vasodilator primarily in arteries and arterioles. Hydralazine acts to decrease peripheral resistance by relaxing vascular smooth muscles,  lowering blood pressure and decreasing after-load.

Hydralazine lupus like syndrome or any other immune-related diseases that are caused by continuous intake of hydralazine are reversible with withdrawal of this medicine. Most autoimmune diseases, which are caused by the release of histamines by the mast cells, can be relieved by  antihistamines; however, this is not a permanent cure.

What is meant by Medical Urticaria and Itchy Urticaria?

Most skin problems cause annoyance for the patient. If I say urticaria is on the top of the list I am not wrong, because of its extremely itchy nature. To understand itchy urticaria,  you should know that  medical urticaria remedies are available in the market to ease the suffering, caused by itching including many antihistamines.

Itching is a annoying feeling that causes the need to scratch an area of the skin. Itch has resisted many attempts to classify it as any one type of sensory experience. If you want to learn more about itchy urticaria and medical urticaria, read here to read my detailed article.

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To understand itchy urticaria, let us understand both the terms one by one; however understand that certain medical urticaria remedies, including many antihistamines are available to ease the suffering caused by itching. Itch is an uncomfortable sensation that provokes the desire to scratch certain areas of the skin. However, it is difficult to describe itch as any one type of sensory experience. Urticaria is a skin problem that has many different subtypes, such as urticaria pigmentosa mastocytosis, physical urticaria, and chronic urticaria, etc.

The most common characteristic of urticaria is itching. It is sometimes accompanied by other symptoms, such as a burning sensation, swelling, and/or redness. Itchy urticaria is an extremely painful and annoying sensation. It can be either permanent or periodic. The triggers that cause urticaria must be avoided or the inching will persist. Usually, the mast cells, which are widespread in the skin, play an important role, as they release histamines into the skin, which causes rashes and itching.

Though the itching is extremely annoying and it is very difficult to avoid scratching, scratching or unnecessarily touching the affected area aggravates the condition. Therefore, the patient should try to avoid scratching, rubbing, or touching the affected area as much as possible.

Second generation antihistamines may provide relief. These antihistamines include desloratadine, fexofenadine, levocetirizine, and loratadine. If the patient drinks nettle tea, it may relieve his throat. This tea can be made by stirring 2 teaspoons of powdered nettles into a cup of hot water and adding honey. Fresh lemon juice can be used if honey is not available.  Patients can also apply calamine lotion on the affected area for soothing relief. Aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil have also been used to counter the effects of urticaria. Another way to relieve the itch is by bathing or dipping the affected area in warm water containing 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup baking soda. However, it is advisable to consult a doctor for any type of skin problem,  including urticaria.

What Are the Best Medicines and Therapies to Treat Urticaria?

As promised earlier, today I will describe the best medicines, drugs and therapies which will help when wondering How to Treat Urticaria? As a matter of fact, every drug or therapy is suited to a specific sort of urticaria and a correct diagnosis is very important before any treatment. In other words, medicines that are popular for chronic urticaria might not work in the case of physical urticaria.

Oral antihistamines are the most commonly ingested drug for treating urticaria besides certain herbal medicine and Chinese acupuncture.

The first choice should be to take non-sedating antihistamines e.g. Loratadine, Fexofenadine, Cetirizine, Levocetirizine and Desloratadine. In case the symptoms persist, you can take mildly sedating antihistamines e.g. Hydroxyzine, Diphenhydramine and Chlorpheniramine.

For severer cases H1 Antagonists (alone or along with antihistamines), Oral Corticosteroids, Tricyclic Antidepressants and Epinephrine can be ingested.

Now you know about the urticaria medicine, however, there are some drugs which must be avoided. I will be posting about them next.

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Do you know how to treat Urticaria?

Are you totally annoyed by urticaria and want to get rid of it?

Then you should know the basics of how to treat urticaria?

Most people think that it is difficult, but believe me it is not rocket science. Although it can be a tough job to get rid of urticaria,  if you follow the steps mentioned in this article you can get rid of your skin problems.

I have written a comprehensive and detailed article for your convenience on how to treat urticaria, read here to read it. It describes treatment for the most common types of urticaria, you will surely find it helpful.

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Many people suffering from urticaria question how to treat urticaria. Many people think that it is impossible; however, it is possible to find relief. Though it can be difficult to get rid of urticaria, if you follow the steps mentioned in this article, you can find relief for your skin problems. I will discuss the different types of treatments according to different types of urticaria, such as papular urticaria treatment, idiopathic urticaria treatment, etc. and explain how to treat urticaria.

Urticaria Treatment

In some cases, one specific antihistamine may not have any effect on the patient. If this happens, you should try alternate antihistamines. However, to measure the effect of an antihistamine, you should use it for at least two weeks continuously. Sometimes, the rashes may vanish upon using antihistamines and reappear after some time. This happens because people stop using the medication when the symptoms disappear. To prevent the rash and itching from appearing again, you should use the antihistamine on a daily basis. Older antihistamines may cause drowsiness and should only be taken just before going to bed. However, modern antihistamines do not have this effect and can be used anytime.

For curing cholinergic urticaria, antihistamines that have cetirizine as a major component are very helpful. Ketotifen is effective for patients suffering from both cholinergic urticaria and cold urticaria. Danazol elevates antichymotrypsin levels; therefore, patients can benefit from using it.  Ultraviolet light has also been effective for some patients with cholinergic urticaria.

Second generation antihistamines are considered to be the best choice for idiopathic urticaria treatment. These antihistamines include desloratadine, fexofenadine, levocetirizine, and loratadine.

If the patient drinks nettle tea, it may relieve his throat. This tea can be made by stirring 2 teaspoons of powdered nettles into a cup of hot water and adding honey. Fresh lemon juice can be used if honey is not available.  Patients can also apply calamine lotion on the affected area for soothing relief. Aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil have also been used to counter the effects of urticaria. Another way to relieve the itch is by bathing or dipping the affected area in warm water containing 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup baking soda.

The Most Common Forms of Urticairia And Their Home Remedies?

Urticaria is not a very common disease.  There are many different suggestions about how many people actually suffer from urticaria, but the most realistic one seems to be nearly 5%.

Urticaria has many subtypes, some of them are very common like heat induced urticaria, autoimmune urticaria and then there are some very rarely found types e.g. exercise induced urticaria or solar urticaria.

Treating the rare forms usually need the expertise of a professional, while the more common forms are less hazardous and can be helped with the following home remedies.

The most common form, is heat induced urticaria and the best home remedy is applying cool compression or an ice pack.

Stress urticaria can be recurrent and the only home remedy is to stay happy.

Then comes the autoimmune urticaria, taking over the counter anti histamines can help. To reduce itching of the urticaria wheals, apply calamine lotion, vitamin E oil or Aloe Vera gel twice a day,  andexpose the affected area to fresh air.

Next week I will post five extremely important tips when you are managing any type of urticaria, do not forget to read them.

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How to avoid getting affected by heat induced Urticaria?

A few days back I blogged about cold induced Urticaria . Some people think they are safe when it comes to higher temperatures. Unfortunately, you are not safe from urticaria when it comes to heat.  There is a type called heat induced urticaria that can be caused when skin is exposed to heat above 43 degrees Celsius.

In most cases with heat urticaria, the exposed area of the skin becomes burned, stinging, turning red and swollen. It can cause immense itching and a burning sensation. Cooling down the affected area and exposing it to fresh air can help a great deal.

To learn the symptoms, causes and cures of heat induced urticaria, read here to read my complete article.

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Heat induced urticaria presents within five minutes after the skin has been exposed to heat above 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, the exposed area burns, stings, turns red, and swells. Just as cold induced urticaria is caused by exposure to cold, heat induced urticaria is triggered by heat. It is a subcategory of cholinergic urticaria and occurs in both men and women; however, it seems to be more common in men than in women.

Individuals prone to this type of urticaria must avoid extreme temperatures. If the individual has developed the symptoms, try to cool down the affected area with an ice pack or cool compresses. However, if the symptoms do not go away, a doctor should be consulted.

Heat Urticaria

Heat urticaria is one of the most uncommon forms of urticaria. It is an extremely rare condition in which hives develop 2 to 5 minutes after contact with a warm stimulus or environments with very high temperatures. These hives do not last very long and mostly resolve within 1 hour after the outbreak. This specific condition is also known as localized heat urticaria, which completely distinguishes it from generalized heat urticaria or cholinergic urticaria.

The method with which doctors diagnose heat urticaria may seem strange. Warm water from a test tube is applied to the patient’s forearm. If the patient is prone to heat urticaria, hives should develop within a few minutes.

The condition occurs when mast cells release histamines into the skin in response to extreme heat. Therefore, antihistamines may be helpful to treat this problem. In some cases, patients have been treated with desensitization methods, utilizing hot baths; however, this kind of therapy must be initiated under medical supervision.

This article will describe how you can benefit from exercise induced urticaria treatment. It is advisable that you consult your doctor before opting for any type of urticaria treatment. There is a common misconception about exercise-induced urticaria; therefore let us first discuss this.

Exercise Urticaria

Many people think that exercise induced urticaria or exercise urticaria is some kind of exercise allergy. It is a form of urticaria that can occur during strenuous physical exercise. The patient may experience itching, swelling, or hives on the legs, arms, torso, or neck during or after exercise. Usually, perspiration is considered to be the physical stimulus; however, the actual cause is a sudden increase in body temperature. It may appear on the skin within a few minutes and may remain for 30 minutes. In extreme cases,  the person may feel as if they are suffocating and may faint.

Exercise Urticaria Treatment

As soon as the symptoms appear, you should stop exercising. If the symptoms do not go away in 5 to 10 minutes, or if you have other symptoms not defined here, it is advisable to call your doctor right away.

Medication can be used for exercise induced urticaria treatment. These medications usually include antihistamines. In most cases, the symptoms will disappear after taking medicine. However, your doctor can help you identify reasons that trigger your allergic reaction and prescribe medicine accordingly. For some people with sensitive skin, it may be necessary to avoid certain types of exercise, while others do not need to stop exercising after treatment.

In extreme cases, the syndrome may progress to anaphylaxis. If this occurs, then intramuscular epinephrine or emergency self-injectable epinephrine (Adrenaclick, EpiPen, and Twinject) can be used for immediate relief.

Some amazing facts about Delayed Pressure Urticaria and Pressure Urticaria Treatment?

Sometimes very small things result in a great nuisance. What about sitting if you were in your office minding your own business, and that caused delayed pressure urticaria? Though it is not a very common problem, people who suffer from it know how painful it can be.

It occurs as a result of pressure on your skin. It is called delayed pressure urticaria as it usually takes 3 to 12 hours to appear after the  pressure has been applied. If you have this disease or want to know about it just out of curiosity, click here for a complete guide on delayed pressure urticaria and pressure urticaria treatment.

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Delayed pressure urticaria, caused by extreme pressure applied to the skin, can be characterized by swelling and pain on the affected area. Pressure urticaria treatment should be initiated immediately after the swelling appears or the pain will persist and may be accompanied by low fever, chills, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, and/or headaches. Delayed pressure urticaria usually takes 3 to 12 hours to come into sight after local pressure has been applied. It is one of the more common types of physical urticaria.

Pressure Urticaria

Pressure urticaria occurs after the skin has been under extreme pressure. For example, it can appear on the individual’s feet after standing or on the buttocks after sitting for an extended period. Pressure urticaria is typically deep into the skin and not visible to the eye. It usually lasts 8 to 72 hours and the patient may suffer pain, itchiness, or burning.

Besides Aspirin, other factors can trigger pressure urticaria, including pressure from using mechanical tools, such as a screwdriver or hammer, carrying a heavy weight, such as a bag or suitcase, using very tight tampons, and enthusiastic sexual intercourse.

Delayed Pressure Urticaria Treatment

Patients should avoid the activities that can trigger pressure urticaria, especially when the disease is severe. Wearing very tight clothes should also be avoided. You should consult a dermatologist to find out the causes of delayed pressure urticaria. Following, are some medical treatments that can be beneficial for  patients of delayed pressure urticaria.

The patient may consume systemic corticosteroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); however, they produce variable responses in different cases.

Some patients have experienced relief from pressure urticaria after taking chloroquine. Other possible remedies include colchicine, dapsone, sulfasalazine, and montelukast.

This article will help you a great deal if you are looking for Cholinergic Urticaria Treatment. However, if the problem gets worse, no matter which urticaria treatment you are using, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

What is Cholinergic Urticaria?

Before explaining the details of cholinergic urticaria treatment, let us understand some aspects of this disease. Cholinergic urticaria is a skin rash brought on by a hypersensitive reaction to body heat. It is a subcategory of physical urticaria.

Cholinergic Urticaria Hives

Cholinergic urticaria is also referred to as cholinergic urticaria hives, chronic heat hives, or simply heat hives.

Cholinergic Urticaria Symptoms

Cholinergic urticaria symptoms follow any stimulus to perspiration, such as running or exercising, heat from  direct sunlight, high temperature saunas, spicy foods, which may cause an increase in body temperature, very hot showers, or sometimes extreme stress. In some cases, people only have symptoms during the winter season where their body temperature rises when it is unacclimatized to heat.

Chronic Cholinergic Urticaria

Chronic cholinergic urticaria is a subset of urticaria. It is caused when the body becomes oversensitive to heat or the perspiration process. When an individual with hypersensitive skin exercises, experiences a rise in body temperature, takes a hot shower, eats spicy foods, etc, he is at risk of having a urticaria reaction.

Dermographism Cholinergic Urticaria

The literal meaning of dermographism is “writing on the skin.” In most cases, dermographism cholinergic urticaria does not cause itching. A red line appears in the beginning, which is very firm. This is then followed by an axon-reflex flare with broadening erythema. Afterwards, a linear wheal is formed on the affected area, which is also termed as triple response of Lewis.

Treatment for Cholinergic Urticaria

• Eating foods rich in vitamin E, vitamin C, or zinc may help prevent cholinergic urticaria 

• Calamine lotion can be applied on the affected area to relieve itch 

• Drinks like passionflower tea, peppermint tea, valerian, catnip, and chamomile may provide relief

• Applying vitamin E oil or aloe vera gel can help soothe skin

• Drinking nettle tea may help ease  breathing

How could I get Contact Urticaria or Contact Urticaria Syndrome?

What if I tell you there are many things which you should not touch, especially if you are prone to urticaria? If you do touch them you could suffer  from contact urticaria.  Don’t panic, it is just a skin disease which you can learn about and avoid or treat it easily.

An instant but momentary localized swelling and redness, occurs on the skin after direct contact with an offending stimulus. There are many reports of contact urticaria syndrome caused by a variety of compounds, such as foods, preservatives, fragrances, plant, animal products, and metals. Learn more about Contact Urticaria and Contact Urticaria Syndrome here.

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Contact urticaria is an instant, but momentary, localized swelling and redness, which occurs on the skin after direct contact with an offending stimulus. Contact urticaria syndrome is caused by a variety of compounds, such as foods, preservatives, fragrances, plant and animal products, and metals. It is a subcategory of physical urticaria.

Contact urticaria should be distinguished from other allergic contact dermatitis where dermatitis reactions develop a long time (hours or even days) after contact with the offending stimulus.

The contact can be immunologic and nonimmunologic. Causes of nonimmunologic contact urticaria include balsam of Peru, benzoic acid, cinnamic alcohol, cinnamic aldehyde, sorbic acid, and dimethylsulfoxide. Causes of immunologic contact urticaria include natural rubber latex, raw meat and fish, semen, many antibiotics, some metals (e.g. platinum, nickel), acrylic monomers, short-chain alcohols, benzoic, and other miscellaneous chemicals.

Since the exposure to contact urticaria patients is usually similar to other contact stimulus, watchfulness is required to make certain that the patient is properly investigated and diagnosed with contact urticaria syndrome.

Contact urticaria can be characterized by itching, local burning sensation, and tingling; red swellings or wheals may also occur, especially on the hands. The color of the wheals shows the severity, which can range from slight redness or spots with minimal swelling to fiery redness with tense swelling and wheals. Rash caused by contact urticaria usually resolves by itself within 24 hours of onset.

The worst thing about contact urticaria is that symptoms may occur in organs other than the skin due to unknown triggers. They are more likely to occur in patients with immunological contact urticaria. Features of extracutaneous reactions that can be caused by contact urticaria syndrome include wheezing, runny nose, watery eyes, lip swelling, hoarse throat, difficulty swallowing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and severe anaphylactic shock, which can be life threatening.

What are the different Chronic Urticaria Causes?

As I wrote in one of my previous blogs, chronic diseases tend to be more annoying due to their persistent nature.  Today I am going to tell you what causes chronic urticaria. Chronic urticaria is also called Ordinary urticaria. It is defined as the presence of  wheals which last for more than six weeks.

Chronic urticaria causes have many known and unknown factors. Some of the known factors are Drugs, Allergens,Food allergens and Synthetic Products. If you know the causes that can trigger chronic urticaria you have a better chance of avoiding it. Read here for my detailed article on chronic urticaria causes.

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Chronic urticaria, also called Ordinary urticaria, is defined as the presence of passing wheals, which lasts for more than six weeks. Chronic urticaria causes include allergic, non-allergic, genetic, and immunological factors. Chronic urticaria can be triggered by various factors, such as drugs, extreme pressure, temperature extremes, friction, intensive exercise, and sunlight. In most patients, chronic urticaria causes are unknown. Up to 40% of chronic urticaria cases have an autoimmune cause. Extreme emotional conditions, such as stress, may directly or indirectly provoke a  tendency to develop urticaria.

Urticaria Causes

What causes urticaria is a very difficult question to answer, as there are known and unknown causes for this skin condition. Following, are the major urticaria causes:

Idiopathic Causes: Though there are many known causes for urticaria, there are many unknown causes as well, which are called idiopathic causes. Most people have idiopathic causes for urticaria, which is why it is on the top of my list.
Drugs: Manmade drugs are considered to be the major cause of urticaria. These drugs include different antibiotics (Penicillin), hormonal preparations, anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, indomethacin), vaccinations, NSAIDs, foreign sera, and contraceptive pills, etc. Morphine-induced urticaria has been reported in some patients. The urticaria patients who use cocaine or those who inject heroin may suffer from Bronchospasm.
Allergens and Food allergens: Different allergens can cause urticaria; however, the individual’s hypersensitivity plays a major role in this.  Many artificially flavored foods and some natural foods, such as wheat, milk, eggs, cheese, cereals, peas, oranges, fish,  and chicken can also cause urticaria.
Synthetic Products: Urticaria may also be induced in response to the excess usage of synthetic products, such as deodorants, colognes, talcum powders, and other cosmetic products.
Other Causes: Other causes of urticaria include infections and infestations, emotional factors, alcohol, and environmental factors.