Physical Urticaria
Urticaria or hives is also known as the nettle rash which means an itching on the skin with rashes. It is a skin eruption that is allergic or non allergic and is characterized by acute itching and round red circular eruptions on the body. Their shapes vary from a few centimetres to several inches in diameter. These can be either round or ring shaped or sometimes even large patches. Another manifestation of hives is the wheals or welts and red lesions with a flare at the border. Hives may occur on any part of the body, including arms, legs and trunk. An estimated 15% population have this disease at some or the other point in their lives. Out of those suffering from chronic hives, close to 80% of these case are just idiopathic urticaria, meaning there is no known cause for the disease. Features of Hives: Hives are usually red and swollen bumps in the form of patches or welts on the surface of the skin which may appear all of a sudden. One of the major symptoms of this disease is itching, although some people complain of a burning or stinging sensation. More often than not, an allergic reaction is normally the cause of hives but in majority of the cases, the exact cause is not known. Hives change size rapidly and move around the body. They disappear at one place and again reappear at another place. Individual urticaria last for around 24 hours. They may disappear by the noon and later appear again in full force by the evening. There is hardly any other disease that could occur and get resolved so instantly. Types of urticaria: Most of the hives fall into two categories namely, ordinary urticaria or ordinary hives and physical urticaria or physical hives. Ordinary Hives is also termed as acute urticaria. There is no specific reason associated with an outbreak of ordinary hive. Wheals and welts are seen at different areas of the skin for no specific reasons. These hives itches, flares, swell and disappear all in a few minutes, only to appear at a different place on the body. Most of such cases last for around six weeks, and those that last for more than six weeks are called “chronic urticaria” Most of the cases of ordinary urticaria have no known reasons, hence termed as idiopathic urticaria. While some of them may be triggered by viral infections, others may be caused due to medications when taken for the first time, skin exposure to latex, or insect bites. Chronic hives could last for many months or even years. No laboratory or allergy testing is of any help in such cases. Physical urticaria is produced by physical stimulation of the skin, the most common of them being the “dermographia” meaning writing on the skin. A red welt shows on the line of the scratch when the skin is rubbed. Another form of a physical hive is cholinergic urticaria, which produces many itchy bumps all over the body. Before you go on to get treatment for urticaria, it is important to know the different types of urticaria and their causes. A self diagnosis in such cases goes a long way to building confidence and getting desired results.
