Seattle Health Blog

Urticaria is the appearance of skin lesions with erythema (redness), formation of hives (elevated pale skin), and itching that can occur locally or widely throughout the body. Causal factor whose hives are the physical stimuli, heat, cold, scratching, pressure, etc … are the group that is called physical urticaria. Constitute the majority of known cause chronic hives.

Special Features

1. Are clinically measurable or quantifiable, because the stimuli that cause so are to play in the diagnosis.

2. They tend to be immediate (onset in minutes) and short (after an hour tend to disappear). As an exception we delayed pressure urticaria.

3. In the majority of cases are located at the site of stimulation.

4. They tend to be reproducible challenge test clinically well defined, which makes diagnosis and control. Physical Urticaria

5. They usually affect young adults, with a preference for females.

6. Manifest no obvious triggers v tend to resolve spontaneously over time, except in family forms (very rare).

7. The etiology or cause is unknown, although some associations with other diseases. There is a higher incidence of family or personal atopy. Some have a genetic basis or relative, the majority of autosomal dominant transmission.

8. Among them are associated with some frequency, and also with other types of urticaria.

9. Angioedema may occur in cold urticaria, pressure, vibration and more rarely, cholinergic.

10. With light stimuli presented clinical Mild itching or erythema isolated.

Physical Treatment of Hives

Generally should be avoided triggering mechanisms.

As drug treatment used second-generation antihistamines (Loratadine Cetirizina.. Ebastine. Mizolastine. Fexofenadine), if no improvement is through the first generation such as hydroxyzine, or an antidepressant effect in urticaria as doxepin is.