Some readers may be unfamiliar with “urticaria”, but they must be familiar with “wind leprosy” and “rubella” Yes, these are common names for urticaria. It can be called wind leprosy or rubella because it comes and goes like the wind, and the onset is quite sudden and without warning. From redness, swelling, itching to subsidence, it usually varies from 30 minutes to several hours, and rarely more than 24 hours. In fact, urticaria can also be divided into acute and chronic: acute urticaria lasts less than six weeks; chronic urticaria lasts more than six weeks, and each attack may last a few hours before disappearing, but will continue to reappear.
Regardless of acute or chronic urticaria, during the onset of the disease many raised or raised, pale to pink rashes will appear on the skin, which look like a rash from a mosquito bite. Dr. Au Chi-sen, a specialist in dermatology, pointed out that some large-scale rashes will swell plaques, some of which can reach a diameter of 10 cm or more. No matter if it is big or small, the affected area will be very itchy, and the site of urticaria can be different every time, which seriously affects the daily life of the patient.
Spontaneous or induced division
Chronic urticaria can be subdivided into “chronic spontaneous urticaria” (CSU) and “chronic induced urticaria” (CInU). Ou Zhisen said that the vast majority of CSU patients failed to find the cause of the disease. “Some of them may be related to disorders of the autoimmune system. There is also literature that some of them could be caused by intestinal parasites, Helicobacter pylori, and mental stress.”
As the name suggests, CInU has specific triggers. Common physical stimuli include scratching the skin, or pressure on the surface of the skin (such as wearing a belt, wearing a bust). Another special cause of CInU is called “cholinergic urticaria”, which is urticaria caused by sweating when the patient exercises, in a high temperature environment, eats hot food or takes a hot bath.
UAS7 Self Assessment
Most urticaria can be diagnosed based on clinical symptoms, but although some patients have symptoms similar to urticaria, they may be caused by other diseases, such as vasculitis, erythema multiforme, early pemphigus, cutaneous mastocytosis, hereditary angioedema or scombroid poisoning. are actually suffering from urticaria, and more detailed tests are needed to differentiate.
Chronic urticaria can occur frequently and repeatedly, which can cause great distress to patients and affect their quality of life. If you want to measure the severity of urticaria more accurately and monitor the changes before and after medication, you can use the urticaria test form “UAS7” for self-assessment. Ou Zhisen explained, “The UAS7 assessment records the number of rashes and itching every day for 7 consecutive days (each item is given a score of 0 to 3), and calculates the sum of the scores for a week. During regular follow-up visits , the doctor can use the Weekly scores to assess the changing trend of the condition, in order to adjust the treatment plan.”
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Reduces mast cell stimulation
Oral antihistamines are generally used to treat urticaria. Older generation antihistamines are more likely to cause side effects such as drowsiness, fatigue, and dizziness. The elderly can also cause side effects such as eye blindness, dry mouth, constipation , and difficulty urinating after taking them. The new generation of antihistamines not only has a long effectiveness, but also has better safety. If the disease is not under control after four to eight weeks of enough drug prescribed by the doctor, biological agents can be used in conjunction with injections once a month to fight against the troublesome immunoglobulin E and prevent mast cells from stimulate them abnormally, thereby controlling the disease, illness.
The original article was published on AM730 https://www.am730.com.hk/health/skin pressure-high temperature-induced chronic urticaria/367516?utm_source=yahoorss&utm_medium=referral
