Urticaria


Urticaria commonly known as hives, weals, welts or nettle rash is an allergic condition where the skin appears to be itchy with rashes. It may appear to a definite part of the body or spread across a larger area. 

The disease affects 20% of people at some time in their lives. Urticaria is not a contagious disease. Whenever an allergic reaction occurs, the body releases a protein called histamine. When histamine is released into the blood, the tiny capillaries (blood vessels) leak the fluid. This fluid accumulates in the skin results in causing rashes. 

In some rare cases, Urticaria is also known as vasculitis, which causes the blood vessel to be inflamed. In these cases, the rashes persist more than 24hrs, they are more painful and most of the time leave bruises.

Depending upon the severity of rashes, they are classified into –
Acute Urticaria – In acute cases, the rashes are completely cleared within 6 weeks.
Chronic Urticaria –In rarer cases, the rashes persist or comes and goes for more than 6 weeks, often many years.

Causes

  • Extreme temperatures or sudden change in temperature
  • High body temperature
  • Intestinal parasites
  • Bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, or throat infection
  • Food items – Foods, such as nuts, shellfish, food additives, eggs, strawberries, and wheat products
  • Infections – diseases like influenza, common cold, allergic fever, and hepatitis B
  • The fur of pet animals like, dogs, cats, horses, and so on
  • Dust Mites
  • Cockroaches and cockroach waste
  • Latex
  • Pollen
  • Some plants like poison oak, nettles etc. 
  • Insect bites and stings
  • Some chemicals
  • Chronic illness, such as thyroid disease or lupus
  • Sunlight exposure for a long time
  • Scratching
  • Medications – Long term usage of antibiotics, allergic rashes due to Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ACE inhibitors, Hypertensive medicines.

Symptoms

  • Swellings
  • A rash over the skin –usually pink or red in color, shape varies from oval to round.  The size ranges from a few millimeters to several inches. 
  • Itching –The rashes cause extreme itching, which results in red flares around them.  
  • The weals are more frequent on faces, extremities, including arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes.
  • The symptoms normally disappear within 24 hours, but sometimes another hive appears as the last rash fades.
  • Sometimes, the symptoms continue for more than 6months. 

6 Effective Home remedies for Urticaria

1. Coconut Oil to get rid of weals

Gently massage the coconut oil on the rashes. Leave it for a few hours and allow it to absorb. Repeat this twice daily. 

Coconut oil is an effective skin moisturizer and helps to relieve from the intense itching sensation that is caused due to hives rashes. It has antimicrobial properties that prevent the skin from developing skin infections.

2. Fresh aloe vera gel
Take a fresh leaf of aloe vera and peel the pulp out of it and apply evenly over the affected area. Leave it undisturbed for 30mins. Wash with plain water. Repeat this twice daily to get good results.
The compound called glucomannans present in aloe vera gel accelerates the healing activity. It also has a soothing and moisturizing property that takes care of the rashes. 
3. Turmeric Paste
Mix the turmeric powder with water and make it into a paste. Apply the paste over the rashes and allow it to dry. Do this application of paste twice daily. 
Curcumin the bioactive component found in turmeric is very rich in antioxidant and anti-histamine properties. This serves as an effective natural remedy for hives. 
4. Fresh ginger juice with honey
Mix the freshly prepared ginger juice with the honey. Mix the concoction well and consume it. Drink this thrice daily.  
Ginger is known to be an excellent blood purifier and helps in eliminating the itching sensation and better the blood flow. It helps in the reduction of the swelling caused due to hives. 
5. Mustard Oil Application
Take a sufficient quantity of mustard oil in your palm and apply it in the affected region. Rub this for 20mins. Take a bath in warm water. 
Mustard oil helps in relieving inflammation and swelling caused due to weals. 
6. Sandalwood paste
Apply freshly prepared sandalwood paste over the body. Leave the paste to dry and then wash off with cool water.
Sandalwood cools and soothes the body thereby helping in reducing the rashes and subsides swelling.