Urticaria is an allergic reaction on the skin that manifests itself through reddish, itchy patches that usually become more swollen, as shown in the image.
Usually, hives symptoms last up to 24 hours, disappearing without leaving marks or scars. However, the spots can reappear on other parts of the body, and when this happens for more than 6 weeks the hives are classified as chronic.
Urticaria can be controlled with the use of some remedies, such as anti-allergies, and avoiding the factor that causes the allergy, whenever it is possible to identify it.
Urticaria symptoms
The main symptoms of urticaria include:
- Reddish spots that are swollen; Stains that itch and have well-defined edges; Swelling of the lips, eyes, throat.
These symptoms can be located in a certain region or spread throughout the body, depending on what originated it.
It is recommended to go to the hospital whenever the symptoms of hives last for more than 48 hours, there is difficulty in swallowing and breathing or when the throat feels swollen.
Urticaria Treatment
The treatment of urticaria should be started with the solution of its cause, which can be resolved after washing the affected area with soap and water to eliminate an allergic substance, for example.
However, in cases where it is not possible to identify the cause of the hives, the doctor may prescribe anti-allergic remedies, such as Loratadine, Cetirizine and Hydroxyzine, or oral corticosteroid remedies, such as Prednisone, to relieve itching and swelling.
In addition, it is possible to use cold compresses or soothing creams with menthol or camphor, for example, to reduce the symptoms of hives.
Learn more about how this problem is treated, according to the type of hives.
Main causes of urticaria
The causes of urticaria can be varied, but the most common include:
- Bee sting; Allergy to clothing fabric, pollen, latex, sweat, for example; Food dyes or preservatives; Excessive stress; Heat or extreme cold; Foods, such as peanuts, eggs, seafood; Infections, such as mononucleosis; Products cleaning products, toxic products or toxic plants; diseases such as lupus or leukemia.
It is not always possible to find out the cause of the hives, however, the allergist doctor may do blood tests and allergy tests to try to better understand the symptoms and adjust the treatment.
Types of hives
The main types of urticaria are acute urticaria and chronic urticaria, depending on how long the allergy lasts.
However, hives can be divided according to their cause, such as:
- Emotional or nervous urticaria: it is related to emotional factors such as excess stress or anxiety and, therefore, the symptoms are more intense during phases of greater tension. Know more about this type of hives; Cholinergic urticaria: arises after an increase in body temperature, due to hot baths, eating hot foods or physical exercise, for example, and the symptoms last for about 90 minutes; Pigmented urticaria: caused by excess cells of the immune system, known as mast cells, in the skin, being more common in babies and children; Contact urticaria: arises after contact with allergenic substances, such as latex or resin, for example; Solar urticaria: caused by exposure to the sun and, therefore, the patient should avoid being exposed to the sun's rays.
In addition to these, there is also urticaria vasculitis, which is a rarer type of urticaria that causes inflammation of the veins, which can cause symptoms such as pain or burning in the affected area.
