Total Views: 2489

I am suffering from Acute Urticaria and am on Allegra together with Betnesol for the past 1 year. I also have Hypothyroidism. As a result I have gained a lot of wieght.

PAST HISTORY : I am suffering from Acute Urticaria and am on Allegra together with Betnesol for the past 1 year. I also have Hypothyroidism. As a result I have gained a lot of wieght.

2 Answers

Dr. Vivek Nair answered : 12 years ago

Hi,

What dose of Betnesol are you on? Do you take it daily?

Have any blood tests been done for you besides thyroid testing for the Urticaria?

Patient asked followup Question: 12 years ago

I take alegra and betnesol one tablet thrice a day. I have done Allergy test. I am allergic mainly to the following: 1. Milk 2. Bringal 3. Dust 4. Cock roaches 5. Pollens

Dr. Vivek Nair answered : 12 years ago

Thank you for the information. Your history qualifies as Chronic Urticaria. This can have many underlying causes and management consists of trying to find an underlying cause along with treating the patient symptomatically.

Hypothyroidism and in particular thyroid auto-antibodies are an important cause of Chronic Urticaria. So this could well be the case with you given your history of hypothyroidism. Still other causes need to be ruled out.

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 also form part of the basic workup. More detailed tests require a chest X ray, abdominal ultrasound, dental checkup, sinus X-rays, serum IgE levels, ANA, VDRL, RA Factor, HBsAg, Anti-HCV, Serum Complement levels, urine and stool examination and an allergy screen (contact/inhaled/ingested). If a patient has symptoms of gastritis sometimes an endoscopy with biopsy to check for H Pylori infection can be useful. H Pylori is a bacteria that lives in the stomach and causes gastritis. It has recently been shown to be a hidden cause of chronic urticaria in some patients.

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 cause the symptoms, and hence is an autoimmune type of urticaria. This kind of urticaria can be very chronic.

Antihistamines form the standard management for urticaria and these may need to be taken in 3-4 times the usual dose during acute episodes. If one does not work on its own then two even three can be combined. Options include Tablet Atarax 25-50 mg three times a day, Tablet Loratadine 10-20 mg twice a day and Tablet Levocetrizine 5-10 mg twice a day. All of these are safe to take on a prolonged basis if required.

Betnesol however is not safe to take for beyond 2-3 months without supervision and you really need to discuss stopping it with your doctor. If the urticaria cannot be controlled by antihistamines along then a short course of Prednisolone (a short acting oral steroid) followed by an immuno-suppresant drug like azathioprine may be required for 3-6 months.

Please feel free to ask if you have any queries.

Have a similar question? Ask our top doctors now !

Answers
Doctors

Matching Already Answered Queries

1 Answer

My 3 month old son is passing urine only thrice daily. He is my first child . I breastfeed him five times a day but I feel my milk is not adequate for him . He is also not growing well and has gained only 1 Kg since his birth. Please help.

Doctor's Answer

Hello , Thanks for your request. First of all let me tell you that your milk is always adequate for your baby if you feed him regularly. Feed your baby on demand whenever he is hungry and sucks vigorously. Let him suckle for around 15-20 min. so that both his hunger and thirst are taken care of.Also breastfeed him at night, as baby needs milk every 2-3 hrs even while sleeping. It gives him energy to grow and it produces milk for the coming day. So feed him 2-3 times at night and 6-8 times during ...
Read Full Answer

1 Answer

I hv been having problems of dizziness, and spinning sensations since last 4/5 days. Had the same earlier abt 2 yrs back but on a very mild scale and they went away without any medication. This time it has been rather acute. Visited the physician and hv been prescribed Vertin 8 mg 1x3 times a day before bkfst, lunch and dinner. After three days feeling better but the sensations are still there albeit milder. Feel the spinning sensation especially when I look straight up/down and then bring the head back to normal posn.Again when I am changing sides on bed while lying down from left to right rpt left to right I feel the same sensation. Tho' the dizziness and the spinning sensations are less now after taking the dosages of Vertin 8 last three days would u hv any advice as to how long it takes normally for the problems to be totally eliminated? I am particularly concerned as I am, tho' a retired person, a man of fairly active habits and for the various domestic chores often hv to drive quite a bit in heavy city traffic and as a result of this problem am completely grounded which is affecting our day-to-day life styles and needs.

Doctor's Answer

Hi, Tablet Vertin is used for relief of vertigo due to several reasons, but it is to be known why is this vertigo occurring. For that reason MRI and other tests needs to be done. The possible causes could be some problem in the brain or ear. If there is chronic disease in the ear, the internal ear is effected and there will be vertigo. The duration of vertigo will depend on the cause. To prevent worsening of symptoms during episodes of vertigo, try the following: - Keep still, sit or lie dow ...
Read Full Answer

1 Answer

This cold urticaria is there for almost one and a half years and i am taking 5mg cetrizine once in two to three days. And now even for ordinary water i am allergic. Rashes and mild itching is there. Is there any way for desensitisation?

Doctor's Answer

Hi You told me that you have urticaria since once year is just that your history or do you have some old history of allergy to,because allergy is one thing which will be a part of your immune system and this might come out later on but not so late and at least it can't be the first attack. You can notice it by your self,watch your self closely what is the thing that you are allergic to(common things people are allergic are dust,some food article like some non veg dish,chlorine,some clothing us ...
Read Full Answer

2 Answers