Whenever the weather starts to get humid, hot, or the temperature is unstable, the body starts to activate like an alarm, and many small rashes appear, which are itchy and stinging, and it doesn't matter whether you scratch them or not. No, I even wake up with itching at night. In fact, this is the so-called " urticaria ". Every time an attack occurs, applying medicine can only provide temporary relief. As long as you don't pay attention to your daily routine, it will immediately start to itch again, and the rash will become longer and more numerous, which is very uncomfortable.
What is urticaria? What are the symptoms of urticaria?
Urticaria is an allergic reaction of the body, which mainly occurs on the skin. It is also a very common skin disease. It will cause lumps like mosquito bites, which are red, swollen, and itchy. Most of the time, they can subside quickly on their own; but as long as you scratch them, they will "itch wherever you scratch them, and the more you scratch them, the more itchy you are." , may also occur repeatedly when the weather changes, or when the work, rest and diet are chaotic. It comes and goes like the wind and is very annoying, so it is also commonly known as " rubella ".
Urticaria occurs, usually due to exposure to allergens, which may be common food allergies , or allergies caused by mosquito bites, etc., but it may also be caused by the body's autoimmune disease. Allergic reactions will cause the blood vessels in the skin to dilate, making the skin more fragile, resulting in red and swollen patches. However, it should be noted that if the blood vessels that cause allergic dilation are relatively deep, it may cause " angioedema ", such as sausage mouth, swollen eyes like goldfish, etc. If it occurs in the throat and causes significant swelling, there may be a risk of suffocation.
Urticaria small file
Name: Urticaria
Alias: Rubella
Symptoms: The skin swells up like mosquito bites, red, swollen, itchy, hot, stinging, tight, body edema, pale skin, rapid heartbeat.
Causes of the disease: allergic reaction, stimulation by certain substances, immune reaction, or special disease.
classification: It can be roughly divided into acute and chronic according to the time of onset; generally speaking, it is acute, and only if it occurs repeatedly for more than 6 weeks, it is called chronic.
Complications: angioedema, anaphylactic shock, which may cause suffocation in severe cases.
Why do you get urticaria?
Urticaria is divided into acute and chronic categories. The causes are different, and the reasons why everyone develops allergies are not exactly the same. For example, children under 12 years old are more likely to develop urticaria due to infection. If it happens repeatedly, it is recommended that you go to a dermatologist for medical treatment!
Common causes of acute urticaria
Food
Drugs
Insect bites
Allergen exposure (latex, pollen, animal saliva, nettlesplants, etc.)
Blood transfusion or injection of blood products
Infection (group A streptococcus) , Mycoplasma, sinusitis , hepatitis, EB virus , etc.)
Usually acute urticaria will attack the whole body (or upper body) in just a few minutes, but will disappear within a few hours. , as if it had never happened before. Whether it will happen again the next day depends on the individual's physical constitution and the allergens they have been exposed to; but basically it will heal on its own in 2 to 3 days.
Common causes of chronic urticaria (urticaria appears on the skin almost every day for more than 6 weeks)
60-70% is chronic idiopathic urticaria, the cause cannot be found, and it is an overactivation of the immune system.
30% It is induced urticaria, that is, the cause of irritation is found (cold stimulation, exercise, hot bath, sweating, skin scratches, psychological stress, etc.). Other autoimmune diseases, vasculitis , thyroid disease , tumors.
Chronic urticaria will reoccur. As long as it lasts for more than 6 weeks, it is considered chronic urticaria. It will not only make the body uncomfortable, but also interfere with work and rest. It is even called chronic urticaria. Some people even suffer from it for months. Not good for several years. Therefore, although chronic and acute urticaria look exactly the same, they are very different in severity and impact on the patient's quality of life.
What should I do if I get urticaria? How to treat urticaria?
Because the degree of urticaria is classified into “severity”, some people may only have a temporary attack, and not everyone needs to take medication. Adjustment of daily routine will be more important.
When facing urticaria, you can seek different methods according to different symptoms:
There is only slight redness, swelling and itching: you can apply ice or gently tap the itchy area to relieve the symptoms, which will usually subside on its own.
If the redness, swelling and itching are so severe that you cannot sleep or tolerate it, or it recurs: the current main treatment is antihistamines.
Combined with angioedema: You need to go to the emergency department as soon as possible to maintain a clear airway and avoid suffocation. You may also need to use one-time epinephrine or inject steroids to reduce swelling first.
If it is caused by other diseases: Treat the other diseases first.
When the symptoms are really serious, doctors will still prescribe some drugs to help relieve them. Zhu Jiayu, chief physician of the Department of Dermatology, said that fighting urticaria is definitely not something that can be solved with "one medication" and requires long-term physical adjustment. Control, "Even if the symptoms are relieved, do not stop taking the medication on your own. When the disease relapses, do not think that the original medication is ineffective and change the medication or buy over-the-counter medicine." Otherwise, it is easy to become chronic urticaria, which may even bother you for several years and become more and more serious.
As for how to check your own condition, the Taiwan Dermatology Association has also introduced the internationally accepted urticaria test form "UAS7" activity seven-day test form to help patients record the "number of rashes" and "itching degree" of urticaria every day. "Usually, regular recording for 1 to 2 weeks and steady medical treatment can help doctors judge the degree of improvement of symptoms.
Number of rashes
24 Less than 20 rashes within an hour: Mild
24 20-50 rashes within an hour: Moderate
24 More than 50 rashes within an hour or merged into a large area of rashes: Severe
Degree of itching
Not itchy at all
A little itchy but not causing Troubling
The itching is causing trouble, but it does not affect daily life or sleep.
The itch is very serious, but it does not affect daily life or sleep.
How to adjust the diet of urticaria?
Usually "antihistamines" are used in the medical treatment of urticaria, because histamine can stimulate the immune system to overreact, which is a "protective mechanism" of the body. When the tissue is damaged, such as pollen, dust, Or when you eat food that is easy to cause allergies, or because of skin injuries such as burns and bites, it will secrete and summon immune cells to protect the body. Allergy is an overreaction of the immune system, so using "antihistamines" can relieve uncomfortable symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat, pain and itching.
Foods are also divided into "antihistamine-rich" and "low-antihistamine" foods. In 2018, the Korean Dermatology Association and the Korean Dermatology Research Association jointly published a study stating that "despite negative food allergy test results, But so-called food allergy is still a very common phenomenon, but those symptoms may be very mild, such as sneezing, flushing, headache, diarrhea, and some people may have shortness of breath, but patients with urticaria have particularly many symptoms. serious. The
research team studied 22 subjects (11 men, 11 women) with urticaria. They followed a "histamine-free diet" for 4 weeks. They took an average of antihistamines before being tested. After being tested for about 2 years, the patients' medication doses had not been reduced, but "symptoms improved significantly."
itching degree: significantly reduced.
The number of days the rash appears: significantly reduced.
When a rash appears, the size of the area: significantly reduced.
Number of days of swelling: There is a decrease.
sleep interference: reduced.
Interference with work/school: Improved."Histamine-free menu" provided by the
research team. The
research team speculates that reducing the chemical components and histamine contained in food can maintain a stable intestinal barrier and prevent the body from producing "pseudo-allergic reactions" to food. It can naturally improve the condition of urticaria, but because the test time is not very long, it is not possible to see obvious effects. "But if you cooperate with a nutritionist, maintaining a histamine-free diet is actually not as difficult as imagined. . "
However, if there is no nutritionist, what should be eaten and what should not be eaten? The research team also mentioned that there is a general direction, which is "don't eat the following things."
Don’t eat these histamine-rich foods!
Fish: tuna , Mackerel , saury
Meats: pork, chicken
Fermented foods:
Pickled foods such as pickled cabbage, pickled radish
Sauces such as chili sauce, mayonnaise , Tomato paste
Dairy products such as yogurt, yogurt
Alcoholic beverages such as wine and beer
Fast food
Fruits: grapes, bananas, strawberries, citrus fruits, pineapples, tomatoes
Nuts (including peanuts)
Caffeine: Contains coffee , green tea, chocolate
How to do daily maintenance of urticaria?
It is recommended that patients with urticaria, in addition to avoiding foods that can induce urticaria, can also do the following:
Reduce irritation to the skin
Do not take a bath, and control the temperature in the bath at 38 degrees Celsius
Wear less tight clothes in the hot summer Tight, non-breathable clothes
Wear too much jewelry
Wipe dry immediately when you sweat
Resist not scratching when you feel itchy
Reduce the stimulation of hormones
Eat less wrong food
Keep your mood relaxed and find something that can relieve your pain Stressful things
As long as there is anything wrong, or when symptoms come and go, you can discuss it with a doctor to keep yourself away from urticaria!
