Richie McClure
Mr. Blake
English
GRCS
Research paper: Urticaria
Urticaria is a disease that my sister Carly was just recently diagnosed with, and I wanted to try and find out more about it. Most people do not understand the disease, or how it is even possible to have Urticaria.
Urticaria is a disease where you are allergic to the cold. Some have it a lot worst than others, and it can be fatal. My sister on the other hand is lucky, and doesn’t have it very bad. When she goes out into the cold for a period of time, her fingers and feet swell and she gets hives. It only takes about 10 minutes, at a pretty cold temperature for this to occur. This disease can take up to 20 years to show itself, and can be something you actually grow into, other than out of.
I would like to find out what exactly causes you to be allergic to the cold, and at what temperature does the allergy actually kick in. I would also like to know if it is hereditary or something that just appears. Also what exactly can be done to prevent the swelling and hives, or what medicine there is to help.
I will get my information from a list of different websites and articles starting with mayoclinic.com. “In some people, skin exposure to cold temperatures triggers the release of histamine and other chemicals into the skin. This results in skin redness, itching, swelling and hives. Although symptoms may begin during the cold exposure, they're often worse during rewarming of the exposed skin.” - James T. Li, M.D. Currently, The cause of cold Urticaria isn't clear. But certain people appear to have overly sensitive histamine-containing skin cells.
Ordinary urticaria - the most common form of the condition - is not hereditary. There is one form of cold urticaria that is hereditary. However, this is rare, and most people who get this type of urticaria don't have a family history of the condition. There is also a very rare form of angioedema that is hereditary. In this form, you get angioedema (deep...