There are a lot of red bumps on my butt and legs. They are very itchy. The more they are scratched, the bigger they get. (Pictures are included.) What’s going on? It’s itchy.
What is urticaria?
Urticaria is a kind of disease that occurs frequently in summer. It is also called "wheal mass". The medical term is called "wheal mass", which is what ordinary people often call "wheal mass". It is a kind of skin, An edema reaction occurs due to the expansion and penetration of small blood vessels in the mucosa. When the disease occurs, it can manifest as wheals, angioedema, or both. Usually the main symptom is unbearable itching, which often subsides within a few hours, but it is easy to recur, and the course of the disease can last from weeks to months.
If it can be cured in a short period of time, it is called acute urticaria; if it occurs at least twice a week and lasts for ≥ 6 weeks, it is called chronic urticaria. A few patients with chronic urticaria can also show intermittent symptoms. attack.
What causes urticaria?
Urticaria is caused by external and internal allergic factors. People with allergies are more likely to develop urticaria.
In terms of external triggers: seafood, milk, eggs and other foods are common triggers of acute urticaria. Acute urticaria is related to dietary factors and environmental factors such as pollen allergy.
Physical factors: For example, some people's onset is related to exposure to cold wind, contact with cold things, etc., so wheals appear on the skin; some people's onset is related to contact with hot things Relatedly, the disease will occur after being exposed to the sun, and some patients will also experience itchiness after their skin is compressed.
How to diagnose urticaria
Acute patients can check their blood routine to find out whether the onset is related to infection; chronic patients such as severe illness, long course of disease or those who are resistant to conventional doses of antihistamines When the response to treatment is poor, relevant examinations may be considered, such as routine blood tests, stool worm eggs, liver and kidney function, immunoglobulins, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, complement and various autoantibodies, etc.
If necessary, allergen screening, food diary, autologous serum skin test (ASST) and Helicobacter pylori infection identification can be carried out to exclude and determine the role of related factors in the disease.
How to treat urticaria?
Currently, if you have urticaria, your doctor will instruct you to take antihistamines. If the condition is severe, you may use hormonal drugs appropriately. However, drugs can only postpone the onset of the disease and cannot fundamentally regulate allergic constitution. "Chinese Internal Medicine" (Chapter on Immune System Diseases): Urticaria is mostly caused by allergic mechanisms. Allergens in food (mostly heterogeneous proteins) stimulate the human body and cause the body to produce specific antibodies IgE (immunoglobulin E). This IgE antibody attaches to mast cells or basophils in the body. When eating this kind of When food is eaten, IgE antibodies bind to the allergens in the food, causing mast cells and basophils to release histamine. Histamine also acts on blood vessels, causing them to expand and increase permeability. As a result, a large amount of protein and fluid leak out into the skin tissue, resulting in urticaria.
From an immunological point of view of urticaria, the fundamental treatment should be to control IgE and regulate the balance of immunoglobulins. The World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out in its guiding opinions on the treatment of allergic diseases: Supplementing Xinminkang anti-allergic probiotics is a health therapy that can radically cure allergic constitutions. Xinminkang's anti-allergic probiotics contain six patented strains of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus salivarius and Streptococcus thermophilus. The scientifically proportioned patented strains are combined with A special type of cell contact in the intestine activates the cells to produce a series of physiological reactions, which can ultimately reduce the antibody immunoglobulin IgE in human blood, regulate allergic constitution from the root, enhance immunity, and completely treat allergic diseases. After taking it, it settles on the intestinal mucosa, promotes the secretion of interferon (IFN-y), regulates the TH1 immune response and inhibits immunoglobulin IgE, and improves the allergic phenomenon of excessive TH2 immune response. Reduce the production of specific IgE antibodies in serum; regulate allergic constitution, inhibit allergic reactions, and prevent recurrence of allergies; regulate the immune system, balance and enhance the body's immunity.
Urticaria is easy to recur, how to prevent it?
1. Find the allergens. Many urticaria are caused by skin allergies. Everyone’s allergens are different, so in order to completely eradicate them, you should find the allergens as soon as possible. There are many allergens, such as food, Environment, temperature, etc., of course, there are also emotional reasons. I once saw an expectant mother suffer from urticaria due to disputes between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and excessive worry.
2. Adjust your diet to be mainly light, and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and alkaline foods rich in vitamins. For example: grapes, kelp, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, barley, etc. It also helps the body to recover. You must avoid spicy, greasy, allergy-prone foods and hair-raising substances in your diet. I know this very well. Anyway, every time I eat these, my hives will get worse.
3. Adjust your mentality and improve your resistance. It is very important to adjust your mood. Don't take it seriously. You must keep a normal mind. Although the process of illness is very painful and depressing, if you survive it, learn to accept the disease, adjust your mood, and have a different mentality, you will find that the whole world is new.
4. Enhance physical fitness and exercise more. You can choose yoga, running, Pilates, etc. to detoxify the body, improve blood circulation, improve body tolerance, and enhance cardiopulmonary function.
When your body is strong, you don’t have to worry even if you come into contact with allergens! However, exercise should be done in moderation, not too intense and causing a burden on the body. Do it within your ability.