Urticaria is a fairly common disorder among children and presents as a skin rash accompanied by itchy, raised, red and white bumps or swellings. It is not a contagious disease and can last a few hours or several days, although, in acute and chronic cases, it could last for weeks. Urticaria is triggered by the release of histamines as an allergic response or even due to heat, anxiety, an infection, or sudden changes in temperature. If your child has hives, keep in mind that there are simple home remedies to cure it or you can ask the pediatrician to prescribe medication.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: See the Doctor for a Diagnosis
Step 1. Learn what hives look like
If your child has this rash, know that it can be localized or spread all over the body. If you learn to distinguish the characteristic signs of this disorder, it will be easier for you to recognize it on the baby's skin and identify the cause.
- Localized urticaria occurs on the part of the body that has generally come into direct contact with plants, pollen, food or with the saliva and hair of pets.
- Diffuse urticaria occurs all over the body. It could be a reaction to a viral infection or an allergic response to a food, drug, or insect bite.
Step 2. Know the causes
There are many reasons why a child develops hives. Regardless of whether it is widespread or localized, if you can identify the etiology, you will be able to treat the rash more effectively with home remedies or decide to go to your pediatrician.
- Foods like shellfish, nuts, milk, and fruit can trigger this ailment. It typically disappears six hours after ingestion.
- Drugs such as penicillin and allergy vaccines can cause rashes.
- Direct contact with domestic or wild animals can trigger the reaction.
- Exposure to pollen from flowering plants is also a cause.
- Insect stings and bites (bees and mosquitoes, for example) are a very common cause of hives.
- Emotions like anxiety and stress trigger physical reactions like this rash.
- Babies develop hives even when they are exposed to the sun or high temperatures.
- Don't underestimate chemicals, like laundry detergent or scented soaps, either.
- Viral infections such as the normal cold, hepatitis, and mononucleosis can trigger hives.
- Causes include bacterial urinary tract infections and pharyngitis.
Step 3. See your pediatrician if your child has hives
It is necessary to have the child examined if he has a skin rash of dubious origin that does not go away within a week or if he has recently taken a new drug, eaten a new food or if he has been stung by an insect. Do not hesitate to go to your doctor even if your child shows severe discomfort due to hives. Your pediatrician may prescribe oral medications, cortisone creams, or other therapies to relieve symptoms of the disorder.
- If you are not sure what triggered the skin reaction, you should definitely have the child examined. This way you reduce the risk of treating it with a useless or even dangerous product.
- If the rash is still severe after a second dose of antihistamines, take the baby to the pediatrician.
- If you notice any of the symptoms of anaphylactic shock in your child, go to the emergency room immediately or call an ambulance. The most common symptoms of this severe reaction are: swelling of the face and throat, cough, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, dizziness and fainting.
Step 4. Test your baby
If the pediatrician is unable to trace the cause of the urticaria, then he may request tests to make the diagnosis. In this way you will not only know the origin of the disorder, but also the most suitable treatment plan.
- The pediatrician may request a blood test.
- Allergy tests may also be needed to identify the specific allergen that triggers the reaction.
Step 5. Treat the underlying cause
If the doctor determines that the hives are due to a systemic condition, then they will arrange to treat it to relieve the itching and discomfort caused by the wheals. Studies have shown that treating the general pathology causing hives is much more effective than simply treating the symptom.
- For example, the baby may have thyroid problems that the pediatrician can treat to determine if they affect the urticaria.
- If it is concluded that there is a particular allergy, then the doctor will ask you to prevent the child from coming into contact with the allergen.
Step 6. Avoid all triggers
This skin disorder develops from an allergen or other irritant. If you know these factors, you can avoid them, so as to relieve the baby's discomfort and avoid recurrence.
- The trigger can be an allergen, a medicine, a food, an environmental factor, an insect bite, an infection, a detergent or a harsh soap.
- If you suspect that this is a specific factor that triggers hives in your child, try limiting its exposure while evaluating the symptoms.
- Some external elements can worsen the situation and among these we remember the sun, stress, sweat and temperature changes.
- Use a mild or "hypoallergenic" soap for laundry as well. These products contain a small number of chemical ingredients that are potentially irritating to the baby's skin. All cleansers declared "hypoallergenic" are tested for sensitive skin and should not trigger any reactions.
Method 2 of 3: Home Remedies
Step 1. If you have localized hives, wash the area immediately to remove the allergen
If your child is showing a rash on only one part of the body, wash it immediately with soap and water. In this way you can limit the reaction and its worsening, reducing the time of exposure to the triggering element.
It is not necessary to buy any special soap, as any detergent is able to eliminate the allergen
Step 2. Prepare a cold bath to reduce itching and redness
Low temperatures relieve itching and inflammation, so a cold bath is particularly useful in cases of generalized urticaria. You can also add colloidal oats to soothe your baby's aching skin even more.
- To soothe the baby's skin, add baking soda, raw oats, or colloidal oats to the water.
- Leave the baby in the tub for only 10-15 minutes, otherwise he will get too cold.
Step 3. Apply calamine lotion or itch cream
This type of product is available without a prescription and provides relief from itching, while also calming inflammation. These are products that you can easily buy at the pharmacy.
- Even a low-dose cortisone cream is able to calm the itch. Purchase a 1% hydrocortisone ointment, but ask your pharmacist for advice on how to apply it to a child.
- You can spread the cream once a day on the affected area, after a cold bath.
Step 4. To relieve discomfort and inflammation, apply a cold pack
Itching and inflammation are due to the presence of histamine in the blood. Cold packs are effective because they constrict blood vessels (reducing blood flow) and cool the skin.
- When an allergen enters the body, the body produces histamine; all this generates the allergic response which involves inflammation and itching.
- Apply the cold pack to the rash for 10-15 minutes every two hours or as needed.
Step 5. Make sure the baby doesn't scratch
Help them not scratch as much as possible, as doing so could spread the allergen, worsen symptoms, and cause other problems, such as skin infections.
Step 6. Protect her skin
You can prevent and relieve your child's hives by protecting their skin. Clothes, bandages, and even bug spray can provide some protection and limit discomfort.
- Wear cool, loose-fitting clothes that have a smooth surface, such as cotton and merino wool. In this way the child does not sweat excessively (which makes the hives worse) and at the same time does not scratch himself.
- To protect him from possible irritating external agents and prevent him from scratching, have the child wear long-sleeved dresses and long pants.
- If you need to go to a place where insects are present, sprinkle the areas of your skin not affected by hives with a repellent spray. This will prevent the insects from getting too close and worsening the allergic reaction.
Method 3 of 3: Medical Care
Step 1. Give the child antihistamines
If your child has widespread hives, give him an antihistamine. This drug blocks the production of histamine which triggers the allergic reaction and provides relief from itching and inflammation.
- Stick to the recommended dosage based on your child's age and weight. If you are unsure about the dosage, contact your pediatrician.
- The most common antihistamines include cetirizine, chlorphenamine and diphenhydramine.
- These drugs often have a sedative effect as well, so always monitor your child very carefully to ensure their safety.
Step 2. Purchase H2 receptor antagonist drugs
Your pediatrician may recommend taking antihistamines or H2 blockers to relieve your child of hives symptoms. Both medicines are available both orally and by injection.
- Among the H2 antagonists we remember cimetidine, ranitidine, nizatidine and famotidine.
- Side effects of these medicines include stomach problems and headache.
Step 3. Try prescription corticosteroids
If your pediatrician deems it necessary, they may recommend the use of strong steroids, both topically and orally, such as prednisone. Typically this class of drugs is relied upon when other treatments have not given the desired results on urticaria. Remember to follow your pediatrician's instructions carefully, as these are medicines that weaken your child's immune system.
Oral steroids must be taken for a short time, because they have serious side effects in the long term
Step 4. Consider asthma injections
Several studies have shown that injections of an antibody against asthma (omalizumab) are also effective for the symptoms of urticaria. Furthermore, this substance has no side effects.
This treatment is specific for asthma and its use against urticaria is not yet approved in Italy. For this reason it may not be available or, if it is, it may not be covered by the NHS, which means that you will have to pay for the treatment in full
Step 5. Combine antihistamines with asthma medications
Your doctor may recommend combination therapy to relieve the symptoms of urticaria.
- Among the anti-asthma drugs we remember montelukast and zafirlukast which can be taken with over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines.
- This therapy could trigger behavioral changes and mood swings.
Step 6. Consider using immunosuppressants
If your child has chronic urticaria that is unresponsive to other treatments, your pediatrician may consider giving medications that affect the immune system. These are indicated for relieving acute and chronic skin rash.
- Cyclosporine limits the immune response to hives and provides relief from symptoms. However, it has a number of side effects ranging from headache to nausea to decreased kidney function.
- Tacrolimus also reduces the immune reaction that triggers hives and has adverse effects similar to those of cyclosporine.
- Mycophenolate mofetil suppresses the immune system by improving symptoms related to skin rash.
