Treatment

Beyond treatments that eliminate the cause of the chronic urticaria, numerous therapies are also available for suppressing the symptoms.

Treatment aims at curing chronic urticaria through the elimination of its underlying causes. This means for a chronic urticaria due to infection, for example, that the infection is eliminated, and for intolerance urticaria that the triggering substance is avoided. If this kind of curative therapy approach is not possible or is ineffective, then symptomatic treatment is administered. One must differentiate here between safe and tested therapeutic procedures and experimental forms of treatment.

Modern non-sedating antihistamines and immunosuppressant drugs (substances that suppresses the body's immune reaction) are considered among the safe and tested therapies for ameliorating the symptoms of chronic urticaria. Experimental therapies include: treatments with probiotics; histamine desensitization therapy (with histaglobin); autologous whole blood injections; and acupuncture.

For severe cases of chronic urticaria, including cases with swelling of the mucous membranes accompanied by discomfort in swallowing and shortness of breath, patients should always carry an emergency kit to keep serious urticaria episodes under control. Most emergency kits of this type include a fast-acting cortisone preparation and an antihistamine (H1 receptor antagonist).