Brief Answer:
Please provide more details

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,

Thank you for asking at HCM.

As you have urticaria for long time, it should be considered as "chronic urticaria", which can have many causes.

So, to know more about it, I would like to ask you a few questions as follows:

a. For how many years do you have urticaria?

b. What is the frequency of urticaria in a week or in a month (how many times in a week or a month)?

c. Do they itch more or burn more?

d. Do they begin from exposed areas (arms/face/legs) or covered areas (chest/abdomen/thigh/back)?

e. Are they related to sweating? Do they begin from sweaty areas? Do you sweat a lot?

f. How long do they last? Or how do they disappear?

g. Which medicines do you take? Do they respond well to medicines? Please tell me about your past treatments also.

h. Please let me know all the investigations done so far for urticaria. Can you please attach reports?

i. Do you have any other medical problem? Do you take any other medications frequently/regularly? Are you obese?

j. How is your digestion? Any constipation, acidity, gastritis, need to take antacids, flatulence, slow digestion, etc?

k. Have you observed association of urticaria with any particular food?

l. Do you have any other allergies - sneezing, running nose, frequent respiratory problems, or else?

m. Can you please attach image of your urticaria?

n. Are you stressed with irregular diet/life? Is stress a significant factor in your life? Have you observed any relation of urticaria with stress?

Above details would help me to understand your problem better and therefore to make better suggestions for you.

At present, I would suggest you as follows:

1. For relief from itching and other symptoms of urticaria, I would suggest my patients to take an antihistamine like cetirizine/levocetirizine/fexofenadine. These medications provide relief, but do not remove cause of the urticaria.

2. To identify cause of urticaria, detailed history and investigations are necessary as there are many possible causes of chronic urticaria.

Please provide details on follow up.

Wish you best of the health ahead.

Thank you very much & best regards,

Dr Parin N Parmar
Consultant Allergist-Immunologist

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