Urticaria, commonly known as “wind mass” in the south and “wind bumps” in the north, is a very common skin disease. According to some data, everyone has a history of hives at least once in their life; in childhood, about 15-20% of all babies have hives.
Our skin and mucous membranes have an allergic reaction due to various factors, resulting in inflammation of the tiny blood vessels in the skin and mucous membranes, which manifests itself as edematous red patches of skin, or small pale white “buns” that itch. After a few minutes or even hours, the inflammatory reaction subsides and the rash resolves on its own, leaving little or no trace. If it occurs in the gastrointestinal mucosa, there may be abdominal pain and diarrhea, but it is also a burst of pain that slowly subsides over a few minutes or hours. If it occurs in the nasal mucosa or airway mucosa, it will manifest as sneezing, runny nose, and some babies will feel dizzy or have difficulty breathing.
I. Causes of induced urticaria.
1, food is the most common in childhood. Almost every type of food has the potential for allergy. At different ages, common allergenic foods are different, such as infants trigger hives mostly with additives to milk and dairy products; as they get older, infants and toddlers begin to add complementary foods, when eggs, meat loaf, fish, and fruits can be the cause of allergies; after they go to school, children often like to eat snacks, such as nuts, crabs, shrimp, peanuts, all kinds of cold drinks, chocolate, etc. can be the cause of allergies.
Infectious factors such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc. can also trigger hives, and the hives caused by these causes are more serious and last longer. The most common ones during childhood are viruses and Staphylococcus aureus that cause upper respiratory infections, followed by hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis and coxsackievirus, parasitic infections, bacterial infections such as acute tonsillitis, odontoclastic abscesses, impetigo, etc.
3, Infections must be used after antiviral or antibacterial drugs, so drug factors are also very important causes of urticaria in children, of which penicillin, sulfonamide, antipyretics, vaccine allergies are more frequent.
4, inhalants are the most common allergens in adolescents and adults, of which pollen, dust mites, dust, mold is more common.
5, animal secretions or plant sap stimulation: including bedbugs, mites, nettles, kudzu, etc., these are direct contact before hives appear.
6, there are some rare factors: including cold, sunlight, stress, exercise, pressure, mental factors, genetic factors and so on.
7, there are also some systemic diseases such as rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, malignant tumors, hyperthyroidism, hyperlipidemia, endocrine changes (menstruation, pregnancy, menopause), infectious mononucleosis and chronic diseases such as cholecystitis, nephritis, diabetes, etc., can appear urticaria.
Urticaria is divided into acute and chronic, with symptoms not exceeding 6 weeks for acute and more than 6 weeks for chronic.
Pediatric urticaria is mostly acute urticaria, most of which is transient. There are some children who develop urticaria and then heal on their own. However, if the child has fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or even difficulty breathing in addition to itching, this is a systemic reaction to the hives and must be treated by a doctor.
A small percentage of pediatric urticaria can last for a long time, and for these children, they should be actively seen by a hospital and examined in detail for possible allergens. After finding the allergen, avoid food, inhalants, and physical allergens; or actively treat the infection; or treat the systemic disease to get to the root of the problem in order to cure it completely.
Second, to assist in reducing recurrence and stopping itching.
1, away from allergens: after the baby hives, mom and dad should pay attention to observe the allergens that cause pediatric urticaria, avoid contact with suspected allergens again, stop taking, stop using drugs and food that cause allergies.
2, apply anti-itch drops: children who itch a lot can apply topical stove glycol lotion and other drops to slow down the itching symptoms.
3, cut short nails: cut the baby’s nails short to prevent the baby from scratching the skin causing infection; you can also use other methods to distract the affected child’s attention, do not let him always pay attention to the itchy skin.
4, pay attention to indoor ventilation, clean: the baby activities in the room to keep ventilation, neat, dry, do not place flowers that may cause allergies, and do not spray insecticide, scent and other chemicals to avoid allergies.
6, strengthen physical exercise: babies should strengthen exercise and participate in various sports that are beneficial to health. For example, in summer, you can gradually transition from wiping your body with a cold towel to taking a shower with cold water in order to enhance the skin’s ability to resist disease.
7, light diet: during the onset of hives, the body is in a state of hypersensitivity, some of the food that previously did not appear allergic symptoms in this “extraordinary period” may also lead to allergies. Therefore, during the disease, avoid fish, shrimp, crab, mutton and other hair “hair” as well as chili, curry, garlic and other spicy stimulating spices.