Table of contents:
- Actually, what are chronic hives?
- How can chronic urticaria be associated with autoimmune diseases?
- It's a good idea to check with your doctor if you have chronic hives
Have you ever had hives? Of course it feels really itchy, right? Hives, known as urticaria in medical terms, are skin problems that can develop rapidly. The parts of the body that are often affected are the face, torso, arms, or legs.
Many people underestimate this condition. In fact, experts suspect that hives can appear due to other health conditions that need to be watched out for, especially if this condition does not go away, aka chronic. One of them is an autoimmune disease. What's the connection, huh? Check out the full review below
Actually, what are chronic hives?
Based on the duration of onset, hives or urticaria are divided into two, namely acute and chronic. Acute urticaria occurs in less than six months. Meanwhile, chronic urticaria or hives has been experienced for more than six months or has recurred many times. Here are the triggers of chronic urticaria:
- In some cases, chronic urticaria is part of a food allergy. For example nuts, fish, wheat, eggs, or milk and their derivative products.
- In other cases, allergies to dust, mites, or pollen can also trigger urticaria.
- In some people, insect bites can also trigger urticaria.
Unfortunately, until now this skin condition, which has often attacked many people, is not yet known with certainty. Apart from allergies in general, experts believe that hives can be caused by an autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system (immune system) mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the body itself. Instead, your immune system thinks your cells are dangerous foreign organisms.
How can chronic urticaria be associated with autoimmune diseases?
One of the autoimmune diseases most commonly associated with urticaria / chronic hives is thyroid disease. Thyroid disease itself is a disorder of the thyroid gland that causes hormonal imbalance.
In research, it was found that about 45 to 55 percent of people with chronic urticaria do have autoimmune problems. People who have autoimmune diseases also tend to have urticaria that is much more severe than most people. Apart from thyroid disease, there are several other types of autoimmune diseases that show symptoms of urticaria. For example, rheumatism, type 1 diabetes, lupus, Celiac disease, and vitiligo.
Hives or urticaria itself is a reaction that occurs when the body attacks specific antibodies that are produced by the immune system. So, your immune system turns to attack itself. That's why there is a very close relationship between urticaria and various autoimmune diseases.
However, experts do not fully understand why a person's immune system can attack itself, causing hives.
It's a good idea to check with your doctor if you have chronic hives
Because chronic hives are closely related to autoimmune diseases, it's a good idea to check with your doctor immediately if you experience hives that don't heal or recur frequently. Do not be underestimated or hope that one day the condition will go away by itself.
The sooner you detect an autoimmune problem, the sooner your symptoms will be treated before they get worse.
