♥
Sunday, August 26, 2007
I didnt attend church or Sunday School today. Down with 'Feng Mo' or rather 'hives' again. The 4th or 5th attack in the past 2 weeks. Some days bad, some days can manage to go to work.
Years ago, I did the allergy and blood test at the National Skin Centre. It's seems that I am not under any allergy catagory or anything wrong with my blood. Mmmm.. Some odd attack, I felt vexed every time I had it and medication makes me so restless. I thought to me, why? Only few year ago, I realised I am not the only one, I have a friend who had similar encounter with mine. For her, her possibility could be work or rather stress.. Whenever she is stressed at work, similar case will happen on her, especially on neck, face, ears and legs.
Some explanation for those who dont understand what is hives all about?
What is Urticaria (Hives) ? Urticaria or hives as it is commonly called, is an itchy rash consisting of localized swellings of the skin that usually last for a few hours before fading away. When urticaria develops around loose tissues of the eyes or lips, the affected area may swell excessively. Although frightening in appearance, the swelling (called angio-oedema) goes away in 12 to 24 hours with treatment.
How is urticaria produced ? Urticaria results from some changes in the small blood vessels of the skin. Such changes are brought about by the release of some substances in the body, the commonest of which is histamine. Histamine is released from cells called mast cells by either an allergic or non-allergic reaction.
What causes single attacks of urticaria ? Acute urticaria, which can last from a few hours to as long as a week is usually caused by drugs, specific foods or a viral infection. Sometimes, no cause can be detected.
What are the foods that can cause acute and repeated attacks of urticaria ? Foods that can cause urticaria include :
Nuts
Eggs
Fresh fruits (especially citrus)
Chocolates
Fish and shellfish
Tomatoes
Milk and cheese
Spices
Yeasts
Foods additives and preservatives such as tartrazine (yellow dye) may also be responsible. Hives may appear within minutes or several hours after ingestion of the food depending on its rate of absorption.
What are the drugs that can cause urticaria ? Drugs that commonly cause urticaria include :
Pain killers/Anti-rheumatics e.g aspirin, codeine
Antibiotics e.g penicillins, sulphonamides
However, any drug should be suspected even if it has been taken for a long time without ill effects previously. Drugs commonly cause acute urticaria but they may also aggravate chronic urticaria.
What else can cause urticaria ? Recurring attacks of urticaria may be caused by physical agents such as; sunlight, cold, pressure and sweat. Urticaria caused by such agents is called physical urticaria. The causative agent is usually recognized by the patient.
Chronic Urticaria This is urticaria occurring almost daily and lasting more than two months. In the majority of patients, no cause or significant aggravating factors can be found. Physical urticaria may be present as well in some patients. Food allergy is seldom a cause of chronic persistent urticaria even though some foods may aggravate it. Infections such as candidiasis (a kind of yeast infection) may be a cause, although, not common.
Emotional stress is known to aggravate chronic urticaria in some. Fifty per cent of cases of chronic urticaria, clear spontaneously in about 6 months.
How is urticaria treated ? The best treatment for urticaria is to identify and avoid the cause and any aggravating factors. While investigating the cause, anti-histamines are prescribed for symptomatic relief. Antihistamines, when taken orally, take about 90 minutes to relieve an already formed hive. They work best if taken on a regular basic to prevent the formation of hives. To avoid side-effects like drowsiness, non-sedative antihistamines are available. Antihistamine creams are ineffective.
Elimination diets are not helpful unless a particular food is suspected. Skin tests are generally of no use. Blood and urine test are sometimes carried out to exclude infection as a cause of chronic urticaria.
Itchy itchy go, go, go..
♥
Sunday, August 26, 2007
I didnt attend church or Sunday School today. Down with 'Feng Mo' or rather 'hives' again. The 4th or 5th attack in the past 2 weeks. Some days bad, some days can manage to go to work.
Years ago, I did the allergy and blood test at the National Skin Centre. It's seems that I am not under any allergy catagory or anything wrong with my blood. Mmmm.. Some odd attack, I felt vexed every time I had it and medication makes me so restless. I thought to me, why? Only few year ago, I realised I am not the only one, I have a friend who had similar encounter with mine. For her, her possibility could be work or rather stress.. Whenever she is stressed at work, similar case will happen on her, especially on neck, face, ears and legs.
Some explanation for those who dont understand what is hives all about?
What is Urticaria (Hives) ? Urticaria or hives as it is commonly called, is an itchy rash consisting of localized swellings of the skin that usually last for a few hours before fading away. When urticaria develops around loose tissues of the eyes or lips, the affected area may swell excessively. Although frightening in appearance, the swelling (called angio-oedema) goes away in 12 to 24 hours with treatment.
How is urticaria produced ? Urticaria results from some changes in the small blood vessels of the skin. Such changes are brought about by the release of some substances in the body, the commonest of which is histamine. Histamine is released from cells called mast cells by either an allergic or non-allergic reaction.
What causes single attacks of urticaria ? Acute urticaria, which can last from a few hours to as long as a week is usually caused by drugs, specific foods or a viral infection. Sometimes, no cause can be detected.
What are the foods that can cause acute and repeated attacks of urticaria ? Foods that can cause urticaria include :
Nuts
Eggs
Fresh fruits (especially citrus)
Chocolates
Fish and shellfish
Tomatoes
Milk and cheese
Spices
Yeasts
Foods additives and preservatives such as tartrazine (yellow dye) may also be responsible. Hives may appear within minutes or several hours after ingestion of the food depending on its rate of absorption.
What are the drugs that can cause urticaria ? Drugs that commonly cause urticaria include :
Pain killers/Anti-rheumatics e.g aspirin, codeine
Antibiotics e.g penicillins, sulphonamides
However, any drug should be suspected even if it has been taken for a long time without ill effects previously. Drugs commonly cause acute urticaria but they may also aggravate chronic urticaria.
What else can cause urticaria ? Recurring attacks of urticaria may be caused by physical agents such as; sunlight, cold, pressure and sweat. Urticaria caused by such agents is called physical urticaria. The causative agent is usually recognized by the patient.
Chronic Urticaria This is urticaria occurring almost daily and lasting more than two months. In the majority of patients, no cause or significant aggravating factors can be found. Physical urticaria may be present as well in some patients. Food allergy is seldom a cause of chronic persistent urticaria even though some foods may aggravate it. Infections such as candidiasis (a kind of yeast infection) may be a cause, although, not common.
Emotional stress is known to aggravate chronic urticaria in some. Fifty per cent of cases of chronic urticaria, clear spontaneously in about 6 months.
How is urticaria treated ? The best treatment for urticaria is to identify and avoid the cause and any aggravating factors. While investigating the cause, anti-histamines are prescribed for symptomatic relief. Antihistamines, when taken orally, take about 90 minutes to relieve an already formed hive. They work best if taken on a regular basic to prevent the formation of hives. To avoid side-effects like drowsiness, non-sedative antihistamines are available. Antihistamine creams are ineffective.
Elimination diets are not helpful unless a particular food is suspected. Skin tests are generally of no use. Blood and urine test are sometimes carried out to exclude infection as a cause of chronic urticaria.
Itchy itchy go, go, go..
