The two most feared diseases related to skin are undoubtedly urticaria and angioedema. Though there are many similarities between these two, there are some major differences between them. Certain symptoms, help in distinguishing between them, and can be beneficial in the urticaria treatment as well as angioedema treatment.

Let us first consider the differences: urticaria is on the dermis or upper layer of the skin, whereas angioedema is deep inside. Urticaria wheals are itchy while angioedema swelling is not itchy but can be painful in some cases. Angioedema can be deadly but urticaria does not threaten the patient’s life. As far as the similarities are concerned, both the disease have pretty similar triggers and causes e.g. allergies, pressure, stress, extreme temperatures. Their treatments are also similar to some extent.

Next weeks post will be about hives and dermographism with some amazing surprises.

As promised in the last blog, today’s post will explain the differences and similarities between urticaria and dermographism. You will learn some important and helpful details here.

Urticaria is a skin disease evident by the outbreak of red itchy wheals on any part of the skin. On the other hand, dermographism is a subtype of urticaria. This is why dermographism is also called dermographic urticaria. Dermographism is also called skin writing as the rashes appear on the skin in form of writing while urticaria wheals are unordered and can be widespread. The itching caused by both is similar and the treatment is also nearly the same.

Next week’s post will compare the two most painful and deadly diseases, urticaria and angioedema,please add it on your calendar to-do list so you don’t forget to read it.

To some people, it will be a surprise that urticaria and hives are the two names of one disease. Actually urticaria is the medical name, while hives is the commonly used name for red itchy wheals that can outbreak anywhere on your skin.

Similarly urticaria treatment or hives treatment are also the same. The most common and popular treatment is the intake of antihistamines. Actually antihistamines are drugs which counter the effect of histamine release by the mast cells. Mast cells are a part of the defense mechanism widespread in the human skin and when disturbed they release these fluids which result in itchy rashes and wheals which are usually red or pink in color.

If you want to read the similarities and differences between urticaria and dermographism, do not forget to read the next post due next week.

No doubt, urticaria is a very unkind and painful ailment, but proper urticaria treatment can help you get rid of the itching and burning caused by the rashes. If you or any of your family or friends is suffering from any type of urticaria following  some simple steps can be very helpful in reducing the itching. The best thing about these tips is that you don’t have to buy any expensive medicine.

Itchy urticaria can be  really distressing, but did you know that simply exposing the affected area to fresh air reduces the itching considerably. Similarly, cooling down the affected area with an ice pack, cool compression or simply a cloth dipped in cold water can reduce the itching to a minimum. If the itching is still persisting, you may take non-sedating over the counter antihistamines. However, consulting a doctor is advisable if the condition persists.

Next week, hives and some of its common types will be discussed, you will be astonished to learn how simple home remedies can help your hives.

It is a fact that urticaria treatment can be expensive and time consuming, though there are some cheap herbal products which can bring quick results. But the question is, why should one suffer from urticaria in the first place? You must have heard that prevention is better than cure, so here are some simple tips that can help you stay safe from urticaria.

If you have a history of hereditary urticaria e.g. physical urticaria in your family, do not wait for the symptoms to appear, rather you must be proactive. Consult a qualified doctor for diagnosis because you may have a deficiency of C1 inhibitors which can be the cause of hereditary angioedema. People allergic to certain items or foods must avoid them. Last but not least, learn more about the disease as knowledge is power and with more power you can defeat urticaria.

But what if you already have  urticaria and  the itching is beyond tolerance? Read my post next week and find out the best solution.

Pathophysiology is actually the study of changes of normal biochemical, mechanical, and physical functions, in the human body which are caused by a disease or any other abnormal syndrome.

This post will describe the pathophysiology of urticaria. You might think that this should be only useful for medical students or professionals but if you are understand it, you can go about urticaria treatment in a better way.

Urticaria is caused by the release of histamines, bradykinin, leukotriene C4, and some other vasoactive fluids by the mast cells (which are a part of our defense mechanism). This can involve capillary or membrane damage as well. When these fluids e.g. histamines are released into the dermis, the rashes of urticaria appear on the skin, which are itchy and usually red in color. Physical urticaria is usually caused by physical stimuli, whereas in chronic urticaria the causes are usually unknown.

Do not miss the next post upcoming week which has some great tips for avoiding urticaria.

Urticaria is a kind of disease which can include other symptoms, especially if the underlying causes are not cured properly. Today’s post will show the related conditions which can accompany urticaria and how they make urticaria treament harder.

The most feared and deadly related condition of urticaria is angioedema.  In angioedema there is  swelling instead of welts, which occurs deeper in the skin. The swelling usually occurs on the face: around the lips and eyes and that is why it is also called facial angioedema. If urticaria is accompanied by angioedema, it should be paid serious attention to, especially if it occurred in response to an allergen. Furthermore, angioedema can cause suffocation and threaten the life of the patient.

If you want to learn the pathophysiology of urticaria in simplest form, read my post next week.

Urticaria is not a very common disease.  There are many different suggestions about how many people actually suffer from urticaria, but the most realistic one seems to be nearly 5%.

Urticaria has many subtypes, some of them are very common like heat induced urticaria, autoimmune urticaria and then there are some very rarely found types e.g. exercise induced urticaria or solar urticaria.

Treating the rare forms usually need the expertise of a professional, while the more common forms are less hazardous and can be helped with  the following home remedies.

The most common form, is heat induced urticaria and the best home remedy is applying cool compression or an ice pack.

Stress urticaria can be recurrent and the only home remedy is to stay happy.

Then comes the autoimmune urticaria, taking over the counter anti histamines can help. To reduce itching of the urticaria wheals, apply calamine lotion, vitamin E oil or Aloe Vera gel twice a day,  andexpose the affected area to fresh air.

Next week I will post five extremely important tips when you are managing any type of urticaria, do not forget to read them.

Now you have learned the most common myths about urticaria, it is time to read about something that can be helpful in urticaria management. It is rightly said, “knowledge is power” but in the case of urticaria, knowledge is your only way out of this bizarre skin problem.

Urticaria is also called hives, but it is different from angioedema or lupus, however in some cases it can be accompanied by any of these diseases.

Urticaria can be acute urticaria i.e. the rashes vanish within a few hours after the outbreak and it can be chronic urticaria i.e. the symptom persist much longer, at least more than six weeks and usually reappear twice a week.

Urticaria can be a hereditary or a familial problem and it can also be acquired e.g. in the case of allergies or contacts. A timely diagnosis and proper treatment can cure you of urticaria for good!

There are tips that can help.  Learn what the tips and trick are, for managing urticaria.

The Internet and rapid development in medical science has made access to books and other materials extremely easy. Type keywords about your query in any search engine and you get a plethora of information about the desired subject. Still there are a lot of myths about urticaria because this is a rare disease with not a huge amount of information available.

Most people believe that urticaria treatment is impossible.  You will be amazed that there are some amazingly easy home remedies that can relieve your symptoms a lot.

People think that drugs or food allergies are the only causes of urticaria, however autoimmune, physical triggers and extreme temperature can also cause urticaria .

It is also believed that antihistamines are the perfect treatment even for chronic idiopathic urticaria, actually they only counter the effects of autoimmune histamine release, so you must treat the underlying causes for a proper cure.

These were the myths, come back again and you will learn some valuable facts about urticaria.