Posts tagged "allergic reaction"

How Long Do Hives Last?

How Long Do Hives Last?

Are you trapped into something that you wanted to go out? Probably, it is in a form of emotional disturbance, ailment, or pressure related work. In most cases, people hope not to get sick especially if it shows. Hives is an example.

Urticaria, a medical term for hives, is characterized by red, itchy, swollen, raised skin rash which look like a group of mosquito bites. Hives as normally called is a common allergic reaction which can occur anywhere on the body. When one is affected with hives, it is causing much discomfort to the patient. The rashes are accompanied by stinging or burning sensation. Usually, the patients anticipate for its departure.

Hives are a common occurrence, affecting up to 25% of the population at least once in their lives. Approximately 1 in 6 people will develop hives some time during their life and are most common in children. They eventually disappear in most people. They can be short term, lasting only a few days to six weeks, but they can be chronic and last for months or years. They may reappear following infection, when under stress or for no particular reason.  A hives rash can last for weeks if not treated properly, however most cases only last several days or as little as several hours if you are lucky enough to have a less severe hives outbreak.

Since hives can come and go so swiftly, a very significant percentage of cases are never accurately diagnosed. The hives can appear and disappear without any explanation of what caused them or cured them. Skin testing may be used in finding the source; a detailed history is usually more rewarding. The patient can record everything that was ingested or touched for the 24 hours prior to the outbreak and bring this to the physician. Chronic hives can be especially frustrating for patients. They may or not be related to an allergy. In some cases the cause is never identified.

However, hives can shorten its stay if given the immediate diagnosis and treatment. Early notice of the symptoms is such of great in preventing its spread in other parts of the body. Living the healthy lifestyle and diet would free oneself from any allergy or infection. I think, ones sickness or any ailment is derived from the way we take control ourselves. If we are into unhealthy foods, surely our bodies would also give negative response. It is giving us a hint not to continue doing.


When Should I Seek Medical Care If I Come In Contact With Poison Ivy?

When Should I Seek Medical Care If I Come In Contact With Poison IVy?

Poison ivy is a very dangerous plant that causes harm to human beings by an allergic reaction. This
plant contains the oil called urushiol which is very irritating to the skin and can cause a severe
reaction that could require medical attention.

The extent of the Poison ivy reaction depends on how good or bad your immune system is and it is
different with every person. Some may not have the rash right away; it will take them a number of
exposures first before having it. But some people react to it right away. And each individual’s body
reaction varies. Others may just have a slight rash; a valid reason for this is that it could be the
amount of urushiol that touched the skin is only small. The severity of the reaction depends on your
immune system; the better or stronger your immune system, the stronger the reaction.  This is almost
unbelievable.  If you have a strong immune system, you will have a severe reaction in most cases.

But others may have the poison ivy rash scattered throughout the body is primarily because a large
amount of urushiol touched it and also, possibly the person got the urushiol from clothing or from pets
which came in contact with it. This means the urishol oil touched several areas of your body from your
fingernails, from clothing or even from your pets fur.  It is important to wash all your clothes and
your tools or camping gear as soon as possible so that you do not recontaminate yourself.  The reaction on your skin most often does NOT require medical attention.

The times when the urishol oil DOES require medical attention is when a person goes into an anaphylactic shock. It is a severe and sometimes fatal systemic hypersensitivity reaction. This condition may occur within seconds from the time of exposure to urushiol and is commonly marked by respiratory distress and vascular collapse. The more quickly any systemic atopic reaction occurs in the individual after exposure, the more severe the associated shock is likely to be.

Another time when a person would require medical attention is when urushiol is inhaled (resulting from the burning of poison ivy) enters the systemic circulation and triggers an incomplete humoral response that allows the allergen to combine with IgE and cause the release of histamine. Also entering into the reaction are IgG and IgM, which cause the release of complement fractions, further stimulating histamine action.

Be watchful for signs that indicate a person needs medical care. The first symptoms for anaphylactic
shock are intense anxiety, weakness, sweating, and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include hypotension, arrhythmia, respiratory congestion, laryngeal edema, nausea and diarrhea.

Additional signs that you should look out for and may signal you that it’s time to head to the hospital are when the rash reached the eyes already, including the mouth and genitals; when the blisters are oozing with pus which may be a sign that there is infection, and when you try to palpate it it’s tender to touch and feels warm and the wound appears red ; the person has a fever greater than 37.8 degrees Celsius possibly due to the infection and, when the rash is not getting any better within a few weeks.


What Are Hives?

What Are Hives?

Experiencing itchy discomfort and red rashes lately? This might be an indication that hives start to reveal on your skin. To further configure that you are a suspect of diagnosing hives, a discussion is provided below.

So, what are hives? Hives or welts are medically termed as urticaria derived from the Latin word for “nettle”. Hives are defined as red, itchy, swollen, raised skin rash which can look like a group of mosquito bites. They are accompanied by stinging or burning sensation. They are a common allergic reaction which can occur anywhere on the body in as small as a pencil eraser or as large as a dinner plate. They can also join to form extremely large areas that are called plaques.

Often, they appear in clusters with new clusters appearing as other areas clear.  These bumps range from nickel to quarter sized lesions.

What causes hives?

Hives arise suddenly and may leave quickly in 1-2 hours or can last as long as 48 hours. They can affect people of all ages. They rash can rapidly and repeatedly change in location, size and shape. Over one-fifth of the population has suffered an eruption of hives at some point in their lives.
Hives are the way the skin sometimes reacts to allergies, physical irritation, stress, or emotions. They occur due special cells that start releasing histamine both immunologic and non-immunologic factors and other vaso-active chemicals. The release of histamine can lead to destabilize the blood vessels.

It makes the blood vessels leak fluid into the deepest layers of skin resulting to the development of red blotches or welts. The often intensely itchy wheals that result may disappear in minutes or hours, and usually within a couple of days. But while you have them, you may not want to appear all swollen and scratching in public.

Here are a few things you can do that may relieve the itch and swelling. Like many remedies, what works for some won’t work for others, so experimentation is in order. First thing is to knowing the basics of home care on hives.
•    Apply a face washer soaked in cool water to relieve the itching and stinging.
•    Try a lukewarm shower. Some people may find that heat makes the itching worse.
•    Use a product such as Allstop ProEcza to reduce the itch and heal the infection and inflammation.
•    Calamine lotion is also used to stop the itch, but does not heal the skin and inflammation.
•    Wear loose clothing.
•    If possible, identify and avoid the hives trigger. These are only homely care.


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