Contact urticaria in adults is a localized swelling and redness that starts suddenly and appears temporarily on the skin after direct contact with a foreign substance. Contact urticaria is most often confused with contact dermatitis. It is very important to distinguish contact dermatitis complaints from contact urticaria. In this article, we wrote about contact dermatitis.
Contact urticaria (hives) is a localized swelling and redness that starts suddenly and appears temporarily on the skin after direct contact with a foreign substance. Contact urticaria is most often confused with contact dermatitis. In contact urticaria, when we come into contact with foreign substances, itching, redness and swelling occur immediately. It takes hours or even days for a contact dermatitis reaction to occur. Contact urticaria occurs either by immunological means, that is, through IgE, or by non-immunological mechanisms. The rash that occurs when we come into contact with contact urticaria may remain in a certain area or spread to the whole body, or even be a sign of allergic shock (anaphylactic shock).
It is very important to distinguish contact dermatitis complaints from contact urticaria. The reaction that starts with contact urticaria can later turn into anaphylactic shock, but contact dermatitis does not lead to anaphylactic shock. For example, if someone with a latex allergy has contact urticaria with latex contact, it may indicate a type I (IgE-mediated early type reaction) allergy and may guide other latex-related Type I allergic diseases, allergic rhinitis and asthma or allergic shock. In addition, contact dermatitis Type IV (late type reaction) reactions caused by long-term latex contact do not cause anaphylactic shock due to latex.
What are the Symptoms of Contact Urticaria in Adults?
Symptoms of hives appear within about an hour after skin contact of various compounds such as foods, preservatives, perfumes, plant and animal products, and metals. Mentioned urticaria can manifest itself by immunological or non-immunological means. Hives, which occurs especially by immunological means, may be a harbinger of allergic shock that can lead to life-threatening. In this article, we wrote about the symptoms of contact urticaria.
Signs and symptoms in affected skin areas include:
- Local burning sensation, tingling or itching at the point of contact
- It may cause localized or widespread red bumps or blisters, especially on the hands. The severity of the rash and swelling is variable. It may manifest itself in the form of a very severe rash with tense large swelling from spots that show slight redness or little swelling.
- Fruit or other foods may cause swelling in the mouth or lips with contact, but if it progresses, it may cause swelling that may lead to difficulty in swallowing or shortness of breath.
- Rashes usually resolve spontaneously within 24 hours of onset.
Various signs and symptoms can be seen in organs other than the skin. These occur as extra-skin reactions and are more likely to be seen in patients with mentionet urticaria that develops via immunological route. Features of extra-skin reactions include:
- Wheezing (bronchial asthma) shortness of breath
- Runny nose, watery eyes
- Swelling of the lips, sore throat, difficulty swallowing
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping pain
- It presents as severe anaphylactic shock (allergic shock).
Various staging methods are used for contact urticaria. Staging is done as follows according to the severity of This type of urticaria.
Stage 1: Symptoms such as localized urticaria (redness and swelling) (e.g. itching, tingling, burning sensation)
Stage 2: Common urticaria that can spread throughout the body
Stage 3: Asthma symptoms (wheezing); Rhinitis, conjunctivitis (eg runny nose, watery eyes); symptoms in the mouth and throat (eg swelling of the lips, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing); and gastrointestinal symptoms (eg nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps)
Stage 4: Allergic shock table is seen
Stage 1 and 2 include reactions occurring only in the skin, while stages 3 and 4 include reactions in organs and systems other than the skin.
This type of urticaria can be encountered as serious complaints, whether immunologically or non-immunologically, and may present with serious reactions such as anaphylactic or anaphylactoid shock in organs other than the skin.
