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Annoying painful swelling due to pressure-dependent hives
One of the patients at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at Freiburg University Hospital has suffered from painful swellings on the thighs, forearms and buttocks for a year now. The palm-sized and sometimes very painful swelling itched consistently very strong. The affected patient always had a desire to scratch the swollen areas. Sometimes small bubbles formed on the puffiness. The man had already visited several other doctors without success, before he visited the University Hospital Freiburg.
At some point, the swelling began to hurt so badly that the person could no longer sit for a long time. For this reason, he has been on sick leave for several months. The patient usually worked in an office job. It has already been thought about whether the now 50-year-old man should not be better in early retirement. Of course, the sufferers burdened this consideration in addition, explain the experts of the University Hospital Freiburg in a press release.
The patient has been suffering from painful and itchy swellings and blisters for a long time. The pain was so great that the person was no longer able to do his job. Freiburg physicians succeeded now by a so-called antibody therapy to cure the patients. (Image: Dimid / fotolia.com) Therapy with antibiotics was unsuccessful
First, the doctors had tried to treat a possible bacterial infection by antibiotic therapy. However, this type of treatment was unsuccessful. The experts also observed that from time to time wheals formed on the skin of the patient. These were similar in appearance to mosquito bites. The wheals gave the doctors reason to hope. Could there be a connection between the occurrence of extensive swelling and the occasional skin elevation?
Wheals are a typical sign of hives
The patient was examined in the Department of the Allergology Outpatient Department of the Department of Dermatology. There, the doctors were able to determine that the wheals were a typical sign of a so-called urticaria. This disease is also referred to as hives. Sabine Müller is the senior physician at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at the University Medical Center Freiburg. However, the blisters for the disease did not seem to fit into the picture, adds the doctor.
What is hives??
Hives are one of the most common skin diseases. About one in four people at some point in his life at least once in this disease. Nevertheless, a causal treatment is usually difficult. Because unfortunately, the causes of hives are very difficult to determine. Symptoms of the disease include, for example, rashes, wheals and itching.
Causes of hives
The causes of hives can have many causes. An occurring intolerance to food additives, a bacterial or a viral infection may be reasons for the disease. In addition, physical stimuli such as pressure, cold and light can cause hives, explain the authors.
Messenger Histamine triggers swelling and itching
All of these factors then cause mast cells in the skin to release the so-called messenger substance histamine. The messenger then causes a strong itching and an expansion of the blood vessels occurs. This can cause swelling and redness of the skin, explain the experts.
Swelling of the patient on pressure on the skine
The case of the patient, however, differed in one factor completely from a typical hives. The patient had told the doctors during the examination that the swelling became particularly bad and painful when the person had been sitting at the desk for a long time. This allowed the doctors to recognize that swelling occurred where pressure was exerted on the skin.
Doctors use a weight to test the effect of pressure on the skin
The doctors at the Freiburg University Hospital then began to hang a ten-kilogram weight over the patient's shoulder for a period of ten minutes. The physicians then took the weight off and examined the skin for several hours for swelling.
Extremely severe delayed pressure-dependent hives
For a very long time, nothing was observable. But six hours after the weight load, the typical swelling developed. These looked exactly like the swellings that occurred on the arms, legs and buttocks. Miller. This proved that it was a delayed pressure-dependent hives. The resulting blisters were apparently the result of pronounced swelling in extreme hives, adds dr. Müller added.
Physicians finally use an antibody therapy
After this realization, the doctors began with the usual therapy for so-called pressure urticaria. However, no real success was to be achieved with this treatment method. At this time, the patient's spontaneous hives also increased and his wheals increased, say the authors. In fact, this development of the disease meant something like luck in misfortune for the patient. It has now become possible for the medical profession to use a method of treatment that is normally not permitted in pressure urticaria. This antibody therapy can prevent the mast cells from being activated too much, causing hives, physicians explain.
Antibody therapy shows fast results
The treatment shows fast successes. After just one week, the patient was completely free from any health problems. Unfortunately, the disease is not completely defeated. Every four weeks the Diseased Antibody must be injected under his skin, otherwise the disease returns, according to the release of the Freiburg University Hospital.
Patient can work again and lead a normal life
However, the affected patient can live well with this low restriction. It is now possible for him to practice his profession and the man has even taken several long-distance trips, explain the doctors. The new type of treatment, the disease can no longer prevent those affected from a normal life in our society. (As)