Urticaria-A presentation for patients

Provided courtesy of UNEV

Urticaria

Hives or angioedema

Hives and angioedema

Men and women

Young and elderly

Urticaria is common

Gesamtbevölkerung UrtikariaTotal population Urticaria

Urticaria is common

Akute Urtikaria Chronische UrtikariaAcute Urticaria Chronic Urticaria

Urticaria

http://www.arianapagerussell.com/work/skin/

http://www.facebook.com

People and animals

What happens in the skin?

What happens in the skin?

What happens in the skin?

What happens in the skin?

What happens in the skin?

What happens in the skin?

Triggers

http://www.kkr.it/de/referenzen.htm?menID=2433,0&grp=1&p=2 © Rolf Neeser http://vitagate.ch/de/schoenheit/hautpflege/juckreiz

Triggers

http://wallpaperstock.net

http://www.pc-modding.biz

…. without triggers

Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Causes

Infection26%

Intolerance38%

Auto-reactivity20%

No known cause30%

Other2%

Infection

Auto-reactivityZirkulierende MZ Sekeretagoga = Circulating MZ secretagogues

Auto-reactivity

Intolerance

MZ MZ

Intolerance

Intolerance

?Infection

26%

Intolerance38%

Auto-reactivity20%

No known cause30%

Other2%

Treatment

aus: http://memo-an-mich.de/

complete symptomcontrol

Treatment

2nd-generation H1-antihistamine

Increase dose (up to 4-fold)

If after 2 weeks of continued symptoms

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Symptoms persist after two weeks

Symptoms persist after 2 weeks

What doesn‘t help ....

• Cortisone ointments are rarely effective in urticaria and have long-term side effects.

• Anti-allergic creams and gels penetrate too slowly into the skin to be effective

Summary

• Urticaria is often incredibly annoying and often disfiguring

• The most common form is chronic spontaneous urticaria

• Possible causes are infections, food intolerances or autoimmune processes

• The treatment of choice is:1. Antihistamines2. More antihistamines3. Mast cell inhibition