What should hives patients pay attention to in their diet?
For acute urticaria, if it is not caused by infection or drugs, first of all, you should avoid irritating and allergy-prone foods. In addition to the spicy, seafood, dairy and eggs that we all know, you must carefully review whether there are foods and drinks that you do not usually eat and drink, especially some condiments and preservatives are not neglected, and it is not uncommon for these substances to cause allergies that do not easily attract people’s attention. In the absence of a possible trigger, try to avoid fish, shrimp, crab and irritating foods.
Dietary restrictions for chronic urticaria should be carefully considered because the causes of chronic urticaria are more complex than acute, and food is often not a major factor. Careful and patient search for the most likely cause is necessary without overly restricting the diet.
Patients should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits on a regular basis, especially fruits rich in vitamin C, which can reduce vascular permeability, reduce exudation and local edema, and are beneficial in reducing the symptoms of urticaria.
The same time to develop good eating habits: eat regularly and quantitatively, avoid overfed or partial food, especially avoid overeating. Eating too much protein at once, drinking alcohol or eating stimulating food that is too acidic and too spicy will significantly reduce the digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract, making the food insufficiently digested and increasing the chances of allergies occurring.
What are the possible causes of urticaria?
The etiology of urticaria is complex, and 80% of chronic urticaria patients cannot find a clear cause in clinical practice.
1, drugs, especially penicillin.
2, food and additives, mainly animal protein foods, such as fish, shrimp and crab, etc., added to the food pigments, condiments, preservatives, etc. can also cause the disease
3, inhalants, such as pollen, dust, animal dander, formaldehyde, etc.
4, infection, a variety of infectious factors can cause the disease, such as tonsillitis, cholecystitis, appendicitis a, hepatitis and parasites, etc.
5, physical factors, such as mechanical stimulation, cold, heat, sunlight, etc.
6, mental factors and endocrine changes, such as mental stress, menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, etc.
7, internal diseases, such as diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
How long can the onset of urticaria be called “chronic”?
Chronic urticaria is clearly defined as a rash that occurs daily for more than six weeks. Patients with chronic urticaria have a recurring, intermittent rash. Regardless of whether the rash is large or small, as long as it meets the criteria of “daily occurrence and recurrence for more than 6 weeks”, it can be diagnosed as chronic urticaria.
What are the advantages of combining Chinese and Western medicine to treat urticaria?
When urticaria strikes, some antihistamines from Western medicine, together with traditional Chinese medicine, can gradually reduce the amount of Western medicine after controlling the disease, and then use traditional Chinese medicine to maintain the patient for a period of time, which can better control the occurrence of symptoms and help prevent recurrence, and finally slowly get rid of the dependence on drugs.
Can chronic urticaria be completely cured?
The cause of chronic urticaria is not very clear, and some patients’ conditions last for a long time. The treatment is also a particularly long process, so do not hope that three or five doses of medicine will cure it. The individualized treatment plan should be given to each patient’s specific situation. In general, chronic urticaria can still be treated well.