What should I look for in hives treatment?

  Urticaria manifests itself as pruritic wind masses that appear in batches and subside in 1 to 2 hours, usually not more than 24 hours, leaving no traces after they subside, but if swelling of the eyelids and lips occurs it will subside more slowly, called angioedema. If urticaria-like lesions do not subside for more than 24 hours, urticarial vasculitis, erythema multiforme, and early stages of immune maculopathy should also be considered, requiring hospital consultation and, if necessary Biopsy pathology to confirm the diagnosis.  Angioedema Most urticaria is acute and resolves quickly, but there are a few that recur over a long period of time, usually more than 6 weeks, called “chronic urticaria”, often due to an obscure cause and/or persistence of triggering factors.  Common causes: 1) food or food additives; 2) inhalants; 3) infections; 4) medications; 5) psychological factors, and other 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 that cannot have a clear cause.  For chronic urticaria of unknown origin, allergens can be investigated (e.g., prick test, blood IgE, etc.) to help find the cause, and those of unknown origin are called “idiopathic urticaria,” of which 25-45% are autoimmune urticaria, which can be diagnosed by autologous serum skin testing (ASST) followed by self-blood desensitization therapy. However, all allergen results need to be combined with reality. With regard to hair products, even if they are caused by food, only the appropriate food should be avoided, not all the so-called “hair products”.  Some urticaria is related to pressure, also known as artificial urticaria, such as the waist, wearing a watch, bra pressure areas, etc., after scratching the wind, known as “skin scratching sign”, exercise, heat appears as cholinergic urticaria, occurring in 15% of normal people in adolescence, often recurrent, some urticaria is related to cold, known as “cold urticaria”, even eating cold food, such as sorbet, can appear swelling of the oral pharynx. Urticaria not only appears on the skin, but can also cause edema of the gastrointestinal tract with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Laryngeal edema causes breathing difficulties or even suffocation. Severe cases of urticaria may also cause life-threatening shock and require active treatment.  The first choice of treatment is antihistamines. Patients who are ineffective with antihistamines need to use glucocorticoids or even immunosuppressants, which are gradually reduced and stopped after good control. A few cases caused by bacterial infection with fever and elevated white blood cells require antibiotics. During pregnancy and lactation, if the condition really requires it, relatively safe drugs can be taken orally under the guidance of a doctor. Long-term recurrent attacks need to be clarified and the cause removed. Some urticaria is recurrent for a long time and affects life and work, so it is necessary to insist on long-term oral antihistamines and gradually reduce the dosage to maintain after the symptoms are well controlled.  Desensitization treatment can be considered for long-term recurrence and for those who can clearly identify the allergen, but desensitization treatment takes 2 to 3 years and requires adherence to a sufficient course of treatment.