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I have a itchy head and arms and legs. The rest of the body is fine. When I itch it turns into nettle rash. It disappears after a while. I was taking tablets and they helped but now they are finished and I don't want to get them again as I don't want to be taking them forever. The day I didn't take the tablet the itchiness returned quite bad!I want to find a cure and not be on medication forever! Please help!
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Male Person's Age: 28 Already Tried: Xyzel and Zantec
Hi,How long have you had these symptoms?
Early teenage years maybe before it. It wasnt as constant as the last few days. Before I'd only get in now and again but never really severe. The last few days it's very bad since I stopped taking tablets but before the tablets it was never this bad.
Okay. Tell me are the affected areas particularly dry or scaly? Any dandruff in the scalp?Have you ever had blood tests done to investigate this itching?Are you prone to allergies such as hay fever or asthma?Any other medical or health problems?
No i'm not prone to allergies. No, i've no blood test done. The affected area could be anywhere, there are very itchy but not dry or scaly
I think heat is the major trigger for this as when I get hot I get very itchy and it feels like I'm itchy all over my body at the same time.
I hope you find our interaction helpful. If you are satisfied with my response(s) please remember to press the ACCEPT button.Thank you for the information. Your symptoms are suggestive of a diagnosis of Chronic Urticaria. This is a skin reaction pattern that can be caused due to a number of causes. The first step is to check for thyroid disease. Hypothyroidism is one of the commonest causes of the condition. Other common causes include Infection anywhere in the body (e.g dental infection, bladder or bowel complaints etc), autoimmune disease and certain prescription drugs.A complete hemogram (blood count) with peripheral smear, lymph node examination, liver and kidney function tests form part of the basic workup. For these tests I would recommend scheduling an appointment with your doctor when you can and discussing my recommendations with him/her. More detailed tests require a chest X ray, abdominal ultrasound, dental checkup,sinus X-rays, serum IgE levels, HIV, HBsAg, Anti-HCV, urine and stool examination and an allergy screen (contact/inhaled/ingested)If an underlying cause is found on investigation then addressing it can cure the urticaria.Now about 50% cases of chronic urticaria turn out to have no underlying cause even after exhaustive investigations and this type is called Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria and can be diagnosed by the Autologous Serum Skin Test (ASST). This is proposed to be caused by antibodies being made in the body that causes the itching. This type is usually chronic. Antihistamines form the standard management for urticaria and these are often required on a prolonged basis. In severe cases a short course of oral steroid followed by an immunosuppressant drug like azathioprine may be required for 3-6 months. In addition keeping the skin as well mositurized as possible helps.Hope this information is helpful, please feel free to ask if you have any queries.
Experience: MBBS, MD (Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology)