Urticaria Pigmentosa - Symptoms & Treatment

Urticaria pigmentosa is an uncommon rash that usually affects the neck, arms, legs and trunk of children and young adults. The rash consists of reddish-brown spots that turn into hives when they are rubbed hard or scratched. This disease is mostly found in infants and the first patches appear when the child is few months old. At first they might be confused for insect bites but slowly they develop for several months or years. This condition can appear on any part of the body including the face, trunk, scalp and limbs. In the case of young children the patches get blistered when rubbed. If many patches get activated at the same time, the infants might become irritable but it is rarely that severe symptoms arise. Within the next few years the condition becomes less irritable and eventually the patches fade off. When a person enters his teenage most of the patches fade away. In case of the adults this condition persists for a longer time and is also associated with internal symptoms.

Urticaria Pigmentosa is the most common form of cutaneous mastocytosis . It is a rare disease caused by excessive amounts of mast cells in the skin that produce hives or lesions on the skin when irritated. Some clinicians suggest that urticaria pigmentosa is the childhood form of mastocytosis. Mast cells are specialized cells of connective tissue that release substances such as histamine (a chemical important in the inflammatory process) and heparin when the body's alarm mechanism is set off. When mast cells cluster and multiply excessively histamine and heparin are released into the skin. The characteristic skin lesions of urticaria pigmentosa appear in these areas. Urticaria pigmentosa is generally benign and is usually self-limited. Urticaria pigmentosa is a disease that produces skin lesions and intense itching . If the lesions are rubbed, hives may form on the site. They are located most commonly on the trunk, but are also seen on the extremities, head, and neck.

Causes of Urticaria Pigmentosa

Find common causes and risk factors of Urticaria Pigmentosa :

• Diarrhea can also be a cause of urticaria pigmentosa.
• The main cause of urticaria pigmentosa is the excessive numbers of inflammatory cells in the skin
• Skin lesion may lead to the condition of urticaria pigmentosa.
• Acute headache , may also lead to urticaria pigmentosa.
• Urticaria pigmentosa is most often seen in children, but it can occur in adults as well.

Signs and Symptoms of Urticaria Pigmentosa :

Sign and symptoms may include the following :

• Facial flushing .
• Blister formation over lesion when it is rubbed.
• Appearance of brownish lesions on skin.
• Red or brown spots.
• Emotional Stress.

Treatment for Urticaria Pigmentosa

Treatment may include:

• The use of antihistamines such as Benadryl can help control itching, hives, and flushing.
• An array of drugs is used to treat the symptoms of mastocytosis, including anticholinergics , to relieve intestinal cramping.
• Potent steroid creams applied for several months under occlusion can reduce itching and unsightliness, but the patches tend to recur within a few months.
• There is no satisfactory treatment for urticaria pigmentosa.