You can easily achieve a healthy body if you only know the different methods on the prevention of urticaria. Although urticaria is a common skin allergy, it still needs to be prevented and treated immediately. It can affect people, young and old alike and can cause severe itching and redness. The rashes that appear due to urticaria are red, itchy, and of different shapes and sizes which can also change after a few hours.
Preventing urticaria is practical and easy to do. You can do this by knowing more about urticaria like how is it diagnosed and how it is treated. Here are some important information you must know about urticaria:
What is urticaria?
Urticaria is also known as hives, wheals or nettle rash. It means itching accompanied with rash that affects the neck, arms, legs, and trunk. Medical practitioners refer to it as a skin eruption which is allergic in origin. In addition, it is characterized by reddish eruptions and swelling of the skin with mucosal surfaces that spread and appear in batches.
Symptoms and diagnosis
You can tell if you have urticaria when raised red and white patches can be seen in your skin’s surface. They are red and very itchy. The rash also affects the arms, legs, neck and trunk. Hives can last for hours and even longer if it is not treated immediately. Doctors can diagnose whether you have urticaria or not by conducting several tests. These tests include allergy testing, skin testing, a complete blood count, or the use of elimination testing.
Cause of urticaria
Allergens are the most common cause of urticaria. They are present in food, in the air, in the surroundings, in beauty products, and even in our medication. Allergens cause the body to have allergic reaction especially if you have an oversensitive immune system. Food like shellfish, nuts and some fruits and vegetables contain allergens that trigger urticaria. Meanwhile, drugs like penicillin, aspirin, codeine, sulfa, and other man-made drugs also cause the body to have hives. Other triggers are pollen, dust, fur, insect bites or stings, cosmetics and chemicals.
