Physical urticaria

Physical urticaria is a distinct subgroup of the urticaria that are induced by an exogenous physical stimulus rather than occurring spontaneously. There are seven subcategories that are recognized as independent diseases. Physical urticaria is known to be a painful, itchy and physically unappealing; which can recur for months to years of a person's life. Physical urticaria is a distinct subgroup of the urticaria that are induced by an exogenous physical stimulus rather than occurring spontaneously. There are seven subcategories that are recognized as independent diseases. Physical urticaria is known to be a painful, itchy and physically unappealing; which can recur for months to years of a person's life. Urticaria are characterized by dermal edema (wheal, swollen) and erythema (flare, red), also known as hives. Hive lesions typically last less than 24 hours and are usually itchy (pruritic). Hives can appear anywhere on the body and they may change shape, move around, disappear and reappear over short periods of time. Acute urticaria (short-term): can develop suddenly and will last less than 6 weeks. About 1 in 6 people will have acute hives at one point in their life. Chronic urticaria (long-term): can develop suddenly and will persist more than 6 weeks. This type of urticaria is uncommon and occurs in only 0.1% of the population. 20% of people with chronic urticaria report still having problems 10 years after its onset. The cause of physical urticaria is unknown but it has been suggested to be an autoimmune disease. Suggesting that antibodies, which are produced by the immune system to protect humans from foreign microbes, are binding to body tissue; damaging body tissue. In some cases physical urticaria can be a symptom of an underlying health issue such as: