As bothersome and full of symptoms that will drive you crazy as hives is, common cases of hives and bruising are a telltale sign that something besides one of the common types of urticaria is not your problem. You probably know that the medical name for hives is urticaria, and bruising is not one of the common symptoms. Chances are your hives with bruising is caused by a condition known as urticarial vasculitus.
What Is Urticarial Vasculitus?
It is a variant of cutaneous Vasculitus. Cutaneous is a term for inflammation of blood vessels that are in the skin. Most commonly, there will be the familiar slightly swollen and reddish wheals on the skin that looks very much like common urticaria, and bruising or inflamed blood vessels are found upon close examination. Sometimes microscopic examination is needed to see the inflammation. It is classified as either normocomplementaemic or hypocomplementaemic. The latter form form of the condition has also been connected to systemic conditions like angioedema. Hives and bruising has also been seen in cases of angioedema but the swelling goes deeper under the skin than with hives.
What Are The Causes Of Urticarial Vasculitus?
The causes of urticarial vasculitus are not really known but the following conditions have been associated with it.
- Inflammatory connective disorders
- Hepatitis B, C and mononucleosis
- Leukemia and other internal cancers
- Immunoglobulin disorders
Like common hives, the cause usually remains undiagnosed. But just because cancers are among the possible causes, nobody should jump to the conclusion that the presence of hives and bruising means some form of cancer.
What Are The Signs Or Symptoms Of Urticarial Vasculitus?
The first symptom of urticarial vasculitus is a hives eruption that is painful and burning. Itching is common. The lesions are usually red patches with a white center. And along with the hives, bruising and bleeding under the skin are common first symptoms. These lesions will usually go away after a day and tend to stay in the same spot. Itching results from the eruption of urticaria and bruises in the form of patches show up. This bruising is called ecchymoses. A darkening of the skin can occur as the healing process takes hold. A skin biopsy is usually required to confirm the diagnosis.
How Is Urticarial Vasculitus Treated?
Antihistamines usually provide relief from the urticaria, and the bruising will go away on its own.
The only type of ordinary urticaria that sometimes causes markings is the type caused by excessive scratching in the same place. This is known as dermographism. If the area is scratched long enough, bleeding can even occur. The scratching further aggravates the hives, and bruising, and bruising after hives is usually the case when this happens.
