URTICARIA

Urticaria Treatment in Dubai

Overview:

“Urticaria” is the medical term for hives. Hives are raised areas of the skin that itch intensely and are red with a pale center. It is a very common condition, as about 20 percent of people have hives at some time during their lives. Hives develop when there is a reaction that activates immune cells in the skin called mast cells. When activated, these cells release natural chemicals. One important chemical is histamine, which causes itching, redness, and swelling of the skin in an area: a hive. In most cases, hives appear suddenly and disappear within several hours.

Causes & Symptoms of Hives:

The most common causes of hives include:

• Response to an infection, most commonly a virus
• Foods (most commonly peanuts, tree nuts, egg whites, milk, shellfish, and sesame)
• Some medications
• Insect bites such as bee stings.

The skin lesions, which are usually raised red areas with a pale center, are very itchy and sometimes they can enlarge and merge together.

In up to one-half of people with hives, a more worrisome condition called angioedema also develops. Its symptoms include:

• Puffiness of the face, eyelids, ears, mouth, hands, feet, and genitalia
• Swelling that usually affects one side of the body or affects one side more than the other, with fullness or discomfort in the area of the swelling
• Occasional slight redness of the skin

These are part of a serious allergic reaction. You should inform your doctor as soon as your child develops signs of urticaria or angioedema, and you should rush to the nearest emergency room if these symptoms are accompanied by any of the following:

• Trouble breathing
• Tightness in the throat
• Nausea or vomiting
• Cramping abdominal pain
• Passing out

Hives Treatment:

The itching of hives in children can be relieved by an oral antihistamine that should be used for several days. Applying cool compresses to the area of itching and swelling also may help.

Other treatments may be necessary if internal parts of the body are involved in the allergic reaction. If your child is wheezing or having trouble swallowing, seek emergency treatment. The doctor usually will prescribe a more effective antihistamine and may even give an injection of epinephrine to stop the allergic response. If the allergy causing the hives also results in severe breathing difficulties, your pediatrician will help you obtain a special emergency injection kit containing epinephrine for possible use at home, in child care, or at school, in case of such reactions in the future.

In order to prevent subsequent outbreaks of hives, your doctor will try to determine what is causing the allergic reaction. Often the pattern to the appearance of the hives provides a clue to the allergy. For example, does it usually happen after meals? Does it seem to occur more during certain seasons, or when traveling to particular places? If you discover a specific pattern, alter your routine to see if your child improves. Sometimes hives in children will occur if your child eats an unusually large amount of a food to which she is only mildly allergic. If you discover the cause of the problem, try keeping your child away from it as much as possible.

To know more about the various hives treatment options available for children, contact the specialist doctors at SHAMMA Clinic