One of the most frequent manifestations of the body's response to an allergen, a special skin rash, appears at least once in a lifetime in 30% of the earth's population. Rashes can be compared with traces of skin contact with nettle. Hence the name - allergic urticaria. This manifestation of allergies hides a real threat to life. Therefore, it is important to distinguish symptoms of urticaria in time and take appropriate measures.
Causes of allergic urticaria
After exposure to an allergen, in the role of which any food can act, a drug (mainly an antibiotic), an insect saliva and even just cold air, skin capillary cells begin to produce histamine intensively. In this case, the capillaries expand, the permeability of the walls of the vessels increases, the lower layers of the skin (dermis) swell.
Symptoms of an allergic urticaria
Depending on the intensity of histamine production and the duration of the allergic reaction, several forms of urticaria are distinguished:
- acute allergic urticaria - lasts from 1 to 24 hours;
- subacute urticaria - from 2 to 6 days;
- chronic allergic urticaria, which occurs periodically over several months and even years.
Acute urticaria begins suddenly and is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- severe itching;
- increased body temperature;
- redness of the skin;
- the appearance of formless blisters of various sizes, sometimes merging into a large pink patch;
- blanching of the blisters after a while;
- Sometimes in the center of the edema there are bubbles with a clear liquid.
The development of urticaria is often accompanied by similar processes in the mucous membrane of the respiratory, genital and gastrointestinal organs, headache, and general weakness. This complication - giant urticaria or Quincke's edema - is of a very dangerous nature and can lead to suffocation with a fatal outcome.
Treatment of allergic urticaria
The speed of the measures taken with hives depends on the success of her treatment. It is important not to allow edema and pinch of the upper respiratory tract, as well as quickly remove the itching to avoid infection of the skin. Therefore, it is necessary to act quickly. How to treat allergic urticaria at its first manifestations:
- Eliminate the allergen that caused an inadequate immune response of the body. In the case of medications, a lifelong ban on the appropriate group of drugs is introduced to the patient.
- Intravenous enter calcium gluconate to relieve swelling.
- Start taking drugs that block the production of histamines.
- In the case of chronic urticaria, autolymphocytotherapy is prescribed-a six-fold subcutaneous injection of the lymphocytes of the patient's own blood.
Observance of all measures eliminates the symptoms of acute urticaria. On the skin there are no traces, edemas of mucous and itching disappear.
Treatment of allergic urticaria with folk remedies
If the allergic urticaria took a subacute shape, and expensive drugs and methods of treatment are not available, you can turn to the centuries-old experience of traditional healers. It may seem strange, but the nettle effectively heals that nettle. Lotion of leaves of nettle do 5-6 times a day. They relieve itching, swelling, and also help to quickly get rid of the rash. Prepare a decoction for lotions like this:
- Pour 60 g of nettle leaves with 1 liter of water.
- Boil the leaves for 3 minutes on low heat.
- Insist the mixture for about 1 hour.
- Cool the broth filter.
To treat chronic urticaria, you can take a tincture from the flowers of the nettle. To prepare such a medicine, you need to pour 1 tbsp. a spoon of dried flowers 200 ml of boiling water. Take infusion 4 times a day for several months.
Do not forget that any allergic rash, hives - including, is the reason for immediate treatment.