Many people have had hives. What causes hives? How should hives be treated? Is it true that hives can cause people to go into shock or even suffocate? Combined with the most concerned issues summarized into a text, I hope it will help you!
Urticaria: manifestation of itchy wind clusters, appear in batches, 1 to 2 hours to subside, generally will not exceed 24 hours, fading without leaving traces.
Q: People call hives “wind bumps” because they think the wind causes hives, is there a connection between the two?
A: Hives are very common, with 20% of people having hives at least once in their lives. Some urticaria is related to the cold, the skin blown by the cold wind will appear red, swollen and itchy symptoms, called “cold urticaria”, of course, encountering cold water and other similar situations, and even eat cold food, such as ice cream, will appear swelling of the mouth and throat.
But after all, cold urticaria is only a minority, and the main reason why urticaria is called “wind bumps” or “wind rash” is more likely to be that the hives feel like they are running, a while on the hands and a while on the feet, and they disappear for a while and then grow again. The hives can be very difficult to get rid of. Urticaria is really very elusive, with traces of rain and no trace of wind.
Cold urticaria: Ice can trigger the appearance of wind clumps
Q: Is papular urticaria hives? What is the difference?
A: Papular urticaria, also known as insect bite dermatitis, is pockmarked, can have blisters, does not fade easily, often lasts 5 to 7 days to heal, and will have hyperpigmentation after fading. Urticaria appears in batches, subsides in 1 to 2 hours, usually does not last more than 24 hours, and leaves no trace after it subsides. Also, pigmentary urticaria is not urticaria, it is cutaneous mastocytosis.
Papular urticaria, also known as insect bite dermatitis, is poke-shaped, may have blisters, does not fade easily, and fades with pigmentation
Q: Does urticaria always go away within 24 hours?
A: Generally yes, but if there is swelling of the eyelids and lips, it will be slower to subside, called angioedema, and will take 2 to 3 days to subside. Special attention should be paid to the early stages of urticarial vasculitis, erythema multiforme, and immune maculopathy if the urticarial-like lesions do not subside in more than 24 hours, which require hospital consultation and, if necessary, biopsy pathology to confirm the diagnosis.
Angioedema: It is a special manifestation of urticaria and takes 2 to 3 days to subside.
Q: Will acute urticaria turn into chronic urticaria if not treated promptly?
A: No. Urticaria is divided into acute urticaria and chronic urticaria. Most urticaria is acute and gets better quickly, but there are a few that recur for a long time, usually more than 6 weeks, called “chronic urticaria”. Chronic urticaria is often caused by a lack of obvious causes and/or the persistence of triggers, and is not chronic because of inadequate treatment.
Q: What causes hives?
A: Common causes: 1. food or food additives; 2. inhalants; 3. infections; 4. medications; 5. mental factors, others are physical factors, endocrine changes, visceral diseases, genetics, etc. Specific causes need to be combined with medical history and necessary tests, and even then, there are still urticaria for which the cause cannot be clearly identified.
Q: What should I do if I cannot find the cause of urticaria?
A: For chronic urticaria of unknown cause, allergens can be investigated (e.g., prick test, blood IgE, etc.), but the so-called “bioresonance” (e.g., a certain pull, a certain health) is definitely not recommended to investigate allergens. Although allergen testing can be helpful in identifying allergens, about 3/4 of urticaria has an unknown cause, called “idiopathic urticaria”, of which 25-45% are autoimmune urticaria, which can be diagnosed by autologous serum skin testing (ASST) and then treated with autologous blood desensitization.
Q: I have checked my allergens and many food allergies have come back, what should I do?
A: All allergen results are for reference only and need to be combined with reality. For example, if the allergen check is positive but there is no allergic reaction every time you eat it, you can eat it and the test result may be false positive and vice versa.
Q: Do I need to avoid “hairy foods” if I have hives?
A: If it is not caused by food, it is definitely not necessary. Even if it is caused by food, you only need to avoid eating the appropriate food, not all the so-called “hairy food”.
Q: I often have hives around the waist of my pants and where I wear my watch, but the rest of the body is fine?
A: This kind of hives is related to pressure, also known as artificial hives, and will appear as a result of your scratching. But ordinary urticaria can also appear in the pressure area, called the “skin scratching sign”.
Scratchy skin sign: a cluster of tingles on an irritated area
Q: Do I get hives when I exercise, get hot or excited?
A: This condition is called cholinergic urticaria, which occurs in 15% of normal adolescents and is smaller than normal hives, only 1 to 3 mm in size. It often recurs for months to years and often resolves itself or heals on its own.
Cholinergic urticaria: appears with exercise, heat or excitement, and the cluster is smaller
Q: Does urticaria grow on the surface of the skin as well as inside the body?
A: Urticaria not only appears on the skin, but can also cause gastrointestinal edema, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc. Oedema of the larynx can cause difficulty in breathing or even suffocation. Severe urticaria may also cause life-threatening shock.
Q: How to treat urticaria?
A: Antihistamines are preferred, and it is best to choose antihistamines with little drowsiness effect. If the control is not good, the dosage can be increased or 2 to 3 kinds of combination can be used. Patients for whom antihistamines are ineffective need to use glucocorticoids, or even immunosuppressants, and gradually reduce the dosage and stop after good control. If you have difficulty in breathing or shock, you need to go to the hospital in time for resuscitation, otherwise it will be life-threatening.
Q: I have hives? Why did my doctor give me antibiotics?
A: Most urticaria does not require antibiotics, but a few cases caused by bacterial infections with fever and elevated white blood cells do require antibiotics.
Q: I have hives during my pregnancy, what medication should I use?
A: If the condition does require it, it is relatively safe to take oral loratadine tablets, etc. under the guidance of a doctor.
Q: What should I do if I have recurrent hives for a long time?
A: It is crucial to identify and remove the cause of the disease. Even if the cause is unknown, about 50% of cases are cured within 1 to 2 years. However, some urticaria does recur for a long time and affects life and work, so it is necessary to adhere to long-term oral antihistamines and gradually reduce the dosage to maintain good control of symptoms.
Q: Under what circumstances do I need desensitization treatment?
A: Desensitization treatment can be considered for those who have recurred for a long time and can clearly identify the allergen, but desensitization treatment takes 2 to 3 years and requires adherence to a sufficient course of treatment.