Category: Skin

Allergy Skin By Dr. Shailesh Yadav 0 Comments

Recurrent red hives (urticaria)

Do you have a recurrent history of red swollen/raised-like eruption with itching and burning pain that appears suddenly lasting from a few hours to days/months? 

 

You may have hives or termed as urticaria.

 

Urticaria is known to affect up to 20 percent of the population and strikes people irrespective of age, race, or gender.

 

Hives most often appear in the evening or early morning just after waking. Itching is typically worse at night, often interfering with sleep.

 

Causes

  1. Hives can occur when too much histamine is released in the body by the immune system in response to allergens. Histamines are chemicals your body produces in an attempt to defend itself against infection and other outside intruders. Unfortunately, in some people, histamines can cause swelling, itching, and many of the symptoms that are experienced with hives. 
  2. Common allergen 
  • Dust
  • Food allergen:- 
  • Stress
  • Drug allergy
  • Insect bite
  • Sunlight




Types of hives

  1. Acute /allergic reaction:- episode occurring of less than six weeks. The most common causes of hives are allergic reactions. These can be caused by any allergen you might be sensitive to, including foods (such as nuts, milk, and eggs), pet dander, pollen, dust mites, insect bites, or stings, medications (primarily antibiotics, cancer drugs, and ibuprofen)

 

  1. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. In this condition, hives are often accompanied by breathing difficulties, nausea or vomiting, severe swelling, and dizziness. This type of case needs immediate attention/hospitalization.
  2. Chronic hive:- This is the case in which urticaria is from more than six weeks of time and is of recurring nature, due consideration should be given to rule out following underlying pathology.

  • celiac disease

  • lupus
  • type 1 diabetes
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • thyroid disease
  1. Dermatographism:- these are the cases wherein general scratching/stroking on the skin creates a red hive-like eruption. 
  2. Temperature-induced hives Sometimes change in temperature can induce hives in people who are sensitive to such changes. Cold-induced hives may occur from cold water or air exposure, while body heat from physical activity may cause exercise-induced hives. Exposure to sunlight or tanning beds may also bring about solar hives in some people.
  3. Infection-induced hives Both viral and bacterial can cause hives. Common bacterial infections causing hives include urinary tract infections and streptococcal throat. Viruses that cause infectious mononucleosis, hepatitis, and colds often cause hives.
  4. Angioedema:- In this type of case swelling happens under the skin, seen around the eye & lips occasionally genitals, hands, and feet.

 


Management:-

  • Identifying the cause and possible refrain and avoid consuming such food/ allergens.
  • Avoid using steroids in such cases, steroid-dependent cases take a little longer to heal in the long run.
  • Although urticaria manifestation is visible on the skin, the problem is the system disorder( immune system), which needs to address deeper error. Addressing the local issue will only give temporary results, with recurrence on withdrawal of medicine.
  • Homeopathy plays a crucial role to address the cure from the root cause. Rather than just suppressing outward manifestation of symptoms.
  • Homeopathic treatment for urticaria is more beneficial because, with conventional medicines, there are chances of long-term dependency on anti-allergic medicines. While Homoeopathic treatment involves analyzing complete and detailed information from the patient to select the right constitutional medicine for providing marked improvement with long-term relief.
  • Homeopathic medicines reduce both the intensity and frequency of attacks of urticaria and help in improving the quality of life of patients. Individualized homeopathic treatment is associated with significant alleviation of urticaria symptoms, thus also leading to a reduction in the use of conventional anti-allergic medication.

 

Can I prevent hives? 

If you know what triggers your hives, you may be able to prevent an outbreak by avoiding certain situations or making small changes to your diet.

If you’re not sure what triggers your hives, you may find it helpful to try:

  • Keeping a food diary — to help you identify and keep track of foods that might trigger your condition. Peanuts, eggs, or shellfish can be triggers for some people
  • Wearing loose, light clothing — if heat or physical pressure trigger your hives
  • Avoiding excessive heat, spicy foods, or intense physical exercise — if getting hot or sweating makes you break out in hives
  • Avoiding aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications — these medications can make hives worse, or trigger an outbreak if you are sensitive to them
  • Avoiding alcohol — can trigger an immune response that causes hives in some people

It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to prevent all cases of hives, but the prevention above may help provide relief if they do occur.



 A common question asked by the patient in the clinic

 

Are urticaria hives contagious?

Urticaria hives aren’t contagious, meaning you won’t develop them on your skin by touching hives on another person. However, the trigger that causes this skin reaction can be contagious.

How is urticaria diagnosed?

Diagnosis is typically reached using the patient’s history along with a physical examination. Laboratory workup is based on clinical suspicion and is used to exclude underlying causes, although most cases constitute unknown or spontaneous causes.

 

Are the hives and urticaria the same?

Yes, urticaria is the medical terminology name for hives.

 

Urticaria how long does it last?

In acute cases, it all depends upon the causative /trigger factor, the earlier we remove or stop it the episode of recurrence if ints intensity and frequency may stop.

Chronic hives last a longer time. Most often more than 50% of the time it is autoimmune. The analyzing of homeopathic constitutional medicine and continuing for six months to two years have shown a considerable decrease in its frequency and intensity with complete remission of symptoms.

 

Why urticaria occurs at the night?

Urticaria can be triggered at any time, there is no time preference noted as such.

Another reason may be possible that you are exposing yourself to the irritant causing the hives more in the evening, resulting in a more severe reaction/renewed reaction.

 

What is cholinergic urticaria?

Cholinergic urticaria is a type of hives brought on by raised body temperature. It typically develops when you exercise or sweat. More often than not, Cholinergic urticaria appears and disappears on its own within a few hours.

Skin By Dr. Shailesh Yadav 12 Comments

Itchy Dry Skin

Itchy Dry Skin Psoriasis or Eczema? How to Differentiate?

Do you have itchy skin with red eruption dry hard skin, that won’t go away? If yes, you may have eczema or psoriasis. While psoriasis and eczema can look similar, it’s important to know the difference. They have different causes and can have different treatments. It’s usually best to have a healthcare provider help you with your skin problems, but there are some ways to tell the difference between psoriasis and eczema on your own.

What are basic difference?
Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease. That means your immune system becomes dysfunctional and chronically activated, resulting in skin changes. It causes raised, red, scaly patches on your skin or scalp There are multiple subtypes of psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is the most common and accounts for nearly 80-90 percent of psoriasis cases. People with plaque psoriasis typically have sharply demarcated, raised, itchy, painful red plaques covered with silvery scales. The plaques are most often found on elbows and knees, but they can occur anywhere.
Eczema is an inflammation of the skin that can have numerous triggers. Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema. It typically occurs in people with a personal or family history of asthma, hay fever or other allergies, and it is often seen In children It makes skin more sensitive and more prone to infection. At any time in your life, you can develop eczema from dry skin or chemicals that contact the skin and trigger irritation or allergic reaction

 

When do psoriasis and eczema usually appear? 
Psoriasis usually appears between the ages of 16 and 22, but it can happen at any age. Eczema usually begins younger, appearing as early as 6 months of age. Although some people grow out of eczema, many people continue to have it throughout their life. Even if you have eczema for a long time, there may be periods when it gets better or worse.

What do psoriasis and eczema look like?

Signs and symptoms of psoriasis
The most common type of psoriasis is plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis appears as
thick, raised, red patches on the skin that are covered with white scales made of
old, dead skin cells. These plaques can be itchy and painful. They can also crack
and bleed.
Psoriasis can affect any part of the skin, but it usually shows up on the knees,
elbows, scalp, and lower back. Other forms of psoriasis can occur on the genitals
or in your skin folds, like in your armpits (known as inverse psoriasis). Psoriasis
can also just involve the hands and feet (known as palmoplantar psoriasis).

Up to 35% of people with psoriasis also have nail changes related to psoriasis. This
includes:

  • Small pits or holes in the nail
  • Yellow or brown nail color
  • Thickening of the nail
  • Changes to the nail shape

Signs and symptoms of eczema
Eczema appears as red, dry patches of skin that are very itchy. Some people with
eczema scratch these areas a lot, which can lead to bleeding and thick or leathery
skin. Unlike psoriasis, eczema can become infected with bacteria or viruses. Although eczema can affect any part of the skin, some areas are more common. In infants, eczema usually happens on the cheeks, elbows, and knees. In older children and adults, eczema usually affects the insides of the elbows, behind the knees, and the hands and wrists. Eczema is often associated with 2 other conditions: asthma and allergic rhinitis (also called hay fever). In a large study, researchers found that 1-year-old children with eczema were 7 times more likely to develop asthma and 12 times more likely to develop hay fever by the age of 3. Many also developed allergies to certain foods. Common ones include peanuts, milk, and eggs.

 

Are eczema and psoriasis contagious? And can they turn into each other?

These are 2 very common questions — and the answer to both is no. 

Eczema and psoriasis are definitely not contagious — you can’t “catch” either by touching it. And eczema and psoriasis are completely different skin diseases. Psoriasis cannot turn into eczema, and eczema cannot turn into psoriasis.

 

What happens if psoriasis is left untreated?
There are several other serious health problems that can be more likely if you have
psoriasis. Some of the more common issues include:

  • Psoriatic arthritis. It’s estimated that as many as 40% of people with
    psoriasis also have a joint disease called psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis
    is a chronic condition that can cause permanent joint damage if not treated.
    Psoriatic arthritis usually starts 10 to 20 years after the start of psoriasis.

Metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes. Up to half of all people with
psoriasis have metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like heart disease
and high blood pressure. People with psoriasis are also more likely to have type 2
diabetes and be obese
Is Psoriasis caused by stress? Can emotional stress cause psoriasis?
Certainly not, they do can act as a triggers factor which can aggravated the skin
eruption.


Final Conclusion
Not all skin rashes are psoriasis or eczema. Even between psoriasis and eczema, it can be hard to tell the difference. Always consult your doctor with questions about your diagnosis and treatment.

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