Urticaria (nettle hives) is named after well known weed, which causes typical small itching papules with modifying form and ephemeral appearance. It is caused by the mastocytes, which release the mediators responsible for the widening of the skin arteries and hence the increased penetrability of the arteries.
The angiooedemy is basically the same disease unit with small difference -the widen and permeable arteries are situated mainly in the subcutaneous tissue. One third of the patients suffer from the urticaria and angiooedemy at the same time.
Urticaria is considered to be relatively common disease, which affects patients of all age groups. While sudden and quick reactions appear especially in the childhood, the chronic and often long lasting urticaria is typical for adults. The disease affects the middle aged women the most.
How does urticaria look like?
The basic and characteristic symptom relates to the urticarial papules. The papules look like narrow, or more likely wide flat bulge with the diameter of one centimetre or more. The colour of the papule is pink, however white or red types can occur, as well. The papules can vary in size (from one to even twenty centimetres). They also have different forms – oval, longwise – or can even form various patterns. Their amount can differ, as well, containing two, three or more papules affecting the whole body.
Urticaria can appear everywhere including the hair part of the head, food arch and palms.
Its peculiarity relates to the changing nature of the symptoms and their evanescence. The symptoms disappear after several hours and reappear elsewhere – as if they are wandering.
In addition to the cosmetic handicap the patients suffer from unbearable itching of the papules. Since the scratching can not be stopped deliberately the patients have scratched skin and often even blood welts on feet besides the typical symptoms.
The papules are often combined with angiooedemy, which is a swelling of larger area, coming from the subcutaneous tissue. It usually affects the area around the mouth or the eyes. It can appear even elsewhere – affecting the neck, ears, palms, foot arches and genitals. The mucosa can be affected, as well – in the case of the mouth cavity it comprises the tongue, pharynx and larynx. This case is considered to be very serious since the patients run the risk of choking on it. The intestinal mucosa swelling is combined with diarrhoea, from time to time with the constipation.
The synovial joint cover, bronchus and other tissues can be swollen. The angioneurotic oedema (also called the Quinck oedema) of larger size, especially the one, which affects the mucosa tissues, is serious clinical state, which should be treated by specialists immediately.
Tags: , acute urticaria, chronic urticaria, hives sypmtom, nettle rash, urticaria
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on Saturday, March 8th, 2008 at 1:02 am and is filed under Diagnosis, Illness, Skin, Symptoms.
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