Urticaria or hives are fundamentally produced by histamine and other compounds discharged from cells referred to as `mast cells`, which are a normal part of skin. Histamine (a biogenic amine involved in local immune responses, as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter) stimulates fluid to trickle from the local blood vessels, leading to inflammation on the skin. Urticaria is regarded an almost everyday disease, erupting out from several causes. Although they can be nettlesome most of the times, they generally settle down on their own over a period of weeks and are hardly ever medically sombre. Some hives are caused by allergies to such things as food, medication and insect stings, but the bulky majority of instances are not allergic and no exact cause for them is ever found. Although sufferers may find it baffling not to know what has caused their Urticaria, tacticses like modifying one`s diet, soap, detergent and makeup, are usually not helpful in preventing hives and for the most part are highly unnecessary. In extraordinary instances (in some hereditary, in others, caused by bee stings or drug allergy), Urticaria and Angioedema are accompanied by stupor and difficulty in breathing. This is termed as anaphylaxis in the medical world. Commonplace hives may be widespread and perturbing to look at, but the vast majority of cases do not lead to life-threatening complications.
Besides the above mentioned ones, there does exist several other fatal causes of Urticaria. As a foremost point, it may ensue from digestive disorders like mechanical irritation in the digestive tract or toxemia. Urticaria may be caused by drugs like aspirin, penicillin, serum, quinine, ipecac, turpentine and morphine. Certain foods often cause hives to spread mercilessly amongst susceptible individuals. These specified foods include strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, oatmeal, wheat, nuts, fish, eggs, chocolate, cheese, butter and sausage. The bites of bed-bugs, wasps, bees, mosquitoes, fleas and particular kinds of caterpillars also pose a chance to produce the disease. Use of delicate and private products such as deodorant, perfume and talcum powder, cosmetic products, animal derivatives and similar synthetic substances are also known to induce this disorder. Irritations of the uterus or correlated structures can also cause the Urticaria disease. However, mental disturbances and psychological perturbations that can result into emotional excitement are very much conducive to heightening the cause of hives.
Chronic medical conditions or severe instances of illnesses or allergens can cause chronic Urticaria and some folks are "healed" by resolving things that are erroneous with their body. However, it needs to be noted that the list mentioned as under includes causes for short term Urticaria only. If not endangered to the allergen on a regular basis, numerous causes can be eradicated in the cases of chronic hives. The known causes of chronic Urticaria range from being the regular commonplace ones of infection, to the major emergency ones, happening in isolated cases. Infections are often held responsible as one of the causes of Urticaria. Chronic bacterial infections (e.g. sinus, dental, chest, gallbladder, urinary tract, eye), sinusitis, otitis (eyes), bacterial, dental abscess (bad root canals etc.), Campylobacter enteritis, fungal infections (dermatophytosis, candidiasis (yeast), tinea), viral infections (hepatitis B prodromal reaction, infectious mononucleosis, coxsackie, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr, hepatitis), protozoal and helminth infections (intestinal worms, malaria), cholecystitis, pneumonitis, cystitis, vaginitis and other infections -viral, parasitic, fungal, or bacterial are held responsible.
Diseases like Systemic lupus erythematosus, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto`s disease, carcinomas, lymphomas, rheumatic fever, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (Still`s disease), leukemia, leuko-cytoclastic vasculitis, vasculitis, polycythemia vera (acne Urticaria-Urticarial papule surmounted by a vesicle), lymphoma, collagen vascular disease hepatitis have also been proved as the specific causes of Urticaria. Too much of stress and tension also leads to adrenergic Urticaria.
The Allergens that might cause Urticaria can be additionally segregated into a separate category, which can further be classified into:
•Foods
Fish, shellfish/seafood, nuts, eggs, chocolate, strawberries, berries, tomatoes, pork, cow`s milk, cheese, wheat, yeast, bananas (latex), grapes, soy, wheat. Some food items that comprise high levels of histamine, conducive to further aggravating causes of Urticaria are: strawberries, tomatoes, shrimp, lobster, cheese, spinach, eggplant.
•cosmetic/bath Additives
Numerous additives that can be considered the fatal adversaries to the causes of Urticaria, mostly end up both in food and bath products. Salicylates, dyes such as tartrazine, benzoates, penicillin, Aspartame (NutraSweet) probably does not cause hives. Sulfites, cosmetics, douches, ear or eye drops, insulin, Micenthol (cigarettes, toothpaste, iced tea, hand cream, lozenges, candy), Tartrazine (vitamins, birth control pills, antibiotics, TDC yellow), Trichomonas, dyes, hair spray, nail polish, mouthwasht, perfumes, hand cream, soap, insect repellent are just some of the everyday commonplace agents causing Urticaria.
•Nonimmunologic Contact Urticaria
Plants (nettles), animals (caterpillars, jellyfish), medications (cinnamic aldehyde, compound 48/80, dimethyl sulfoxide)
•Organic substances
Preservatives, latex, hymenoptera venom.
•Immunologic or Uncertain Mechanism Contact Urticaria
Ammonium persulfate used in hair bleaches, chemicals, foods, textiles, wood, saliva, cosmetics, perfumes, bacitracin.
•Contactants
Wool, silk, substance in the occupational environment, potatoes.
•Inhalants
Pollens, mold spores, animal dander, house dust, aerosols, volatile chemicals.
•Drugs and Chemicals
Penicillin, aspirin, sulfonamides and drugs that cause a non-immunologic release of histamine (e.g. morphine, codeine, polymyxin, dextran, curare, quinine). Salicylates, Indomethacin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen and aspirin, opiates, cephalosporin, radio-contrast material, penicillin (medication, milk, bleu cheese), sulfonamides, sodium benzoate verily make up as the cause of Urticaria and hives. Some drugs can cause direct mast cell degranulation such as: opiates, vancomycin (Vancocin), aspirin, radio-contrast media, dextran, muscle relaxants, bile salts, NSAIDs.
Besides these regular mentioned ones, which act as veritable agents to the cause of Urticaria and hives, there does seriously exist some of the other clinical infectious causes to this skin reddening disease. The skin lacerations of Urticarial disease are medically acknowledged to be caused by an inflammatory reaction in the skin, stimulating outflow of capillaries in the dermis and resulting in an oedema that persists until the interstitial fluid is soaked up into the surrounding cells. Urticaria are caused by the discharge of histamine and other mediators of swelling and irritation (cytokines) from cells in the skin. This procedure of progression can be the outcome of an allergic or non-allergic reaction, standing at variance in the `eliciting mechanism` of histamine discharge.