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Itchy
rashes and swellings
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Urticaria
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Angioedema
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Laryngeal
(throat) oedema
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Persistently skin itchiness with
recurring hives or nettle rash (urticaria)
with or without recurring skin swellings (angioedema)
affect 1 in 5 of the population at some time in their lives. In more than 90% of
cases an attack will occur on just a single
occasion quite often without any obvious cause, even after investigation. When
this happens, the risk of the symptoms recurring is low, and the condition
is called acute (i.e.
acute urticaria, acute angioedema).
In less than 10% of cases the symptoms
continue, and if they do so for more than six weeks the condition is called
chronic
(i.e. chronic urticaria, chronic angioedema).
At any one time
0.5% to 1.0% of the population is suffering from one
or other condition. Amongst these, 50% suffer from
urticaria alone (more women than men), 40% suffer
from both conditions (more women than men) and 10%
suffer from angioedema alone (more men than
women).
Urticaria and
angioedema sufferers tend to get little sympathy
from non-sufferers and even doctors because the
conditions are dismissed as a harmless nuisance.
Although rarely life-threatening, chronic urticaria
and angioedema cause both misery and embarrassment
and they have an impact on an individual’s quality
of life comparable with severe coronary artery
disease.
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Urticaria
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Angioedema
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Urticaria is a skin rash. It is
sometimes
called hives, or nettle rash, and it is accompanied by swellings and
itchiness
of the skin. The rash consists of anything from one to countless
wheals, each of which can be from a half centimetre to many centimetres
in diameter. Each wheal is an itchy, raised area of skin that is
reddened
around the edge, but usually paler in the middle.
Wheals whiten if pressure is applied to the rash.
They generally disappear within a few hours, although crops of
wheals may continue to appear for days or sometimes months.
In many cases, physical stresses to the skin such as
scratching, or warmth can aggravate the problem.
Urticaria lasting less
than six weeks is called acute
urticaria and urticaria lasting more than six weeks
is
called chronic urticaria.
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Angioedema
is similar to urticaria, but it involves slightly deeper-seated tissues.
Like urticaria is caused by a build up of fluid leaking from thin-walled blood
vessels. It can accompany urticaria or occur alone. The condition used to be
called angioneurotic oedema, a confusing term as it has nothing to do with
being neurotic!
Swelling of deeper layers of the skin, angioedema, is
often seen with hives. The redness that accompanies hives isn’t seen, but the swelling
is very obvious. The swelling often affects the lips and face, the fingers and toes, as well as areas of
the limbs and trunk, and (in men) the reproductive organs. There is often
a burning sensation.
Angioedema lasting less
than six weeks is called acute
angioedema and urticaria lasting more than six weeks is
called chronic angioedema.
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