Heritage Building in Sydney
I managed to walk around in the city and made my way to the fascinating QVB, which is now converted to a shopping center. Built around 1893-1898 it has 5 levels of shopping! It looks so grand now, I can imagine it would have been a marvelous building when it was built at its time. The shops in there are definitely unique and worth a browse. I would definitely recommend sitting down for tea and just gaze at the 2 hanging clocks. Certainly worth taking the time to relax while sipping your beverage. Sometimes, you may hear a nice tune in the background from someone playing on the public piano.
Chronic urticaria
I had the pleasure to co-chair with Dr Celia on the Chronic Urticaria session. We are now able to understand so much more about Chronic Urticaria which is defined as hives lasting for 6 weeks or more. The idea is that this condition should be approached as an immune disease, with lots of possible auto-immune triggers. Here is a blog post I wrote about Chronic urticaria and autoimmunity. Another thing to pay attention to are the “urticaria mimics”. If your rash does not itch and if the rash lasts for more than 24 hours at a specific spot then you may not be dealing with urticaria.
One of the condition I want to bring to your attention is Urticarial Vasculitis, this rash tends to feel prickly rather than itchy and it leaves a dark mark after the rash resolves. The treatment is quite different and if you suspect urticarial vasculitis, you should definitely bring it to your doctor’s attention.
The good news is that there are going to be better treatments coming up for chronic urticaria that targets the mast cells. Everyone is excited for medications that can provide relief with minimal side effects.
We also discussed another medication that I prefer for the treatment of chronic urticaria, which is Tacrolimus. It may provide for effective therapy with less side effects and offers a possibility for remission. The Allergic Immunology Clinic has an unique protocol for the treatment of hives/urticaria.
Information you can use
- Hives lasting for 6 weeks or more are classified as chronic urticaria.
- Chronic urticaria is most likely an immune trigger and less likely an “allergic reaction”.
- Urticaria rash is itchy, each rash location do not last more than 24 hours and it goes away without leaving a mark.
- The main treatment of chronic urticaria is with antihistamines.
- Biologic therapy with Omalizumab has been quite effective, but there are some patients that can be resistant to this treatment.
- There are many effective treatments available. So for those still suffering, do not lose hope.
If you need help
If you are suffering from urticaria, please seek proper evaluation. Allergist/Immunologist specialists are trained to take care of these conditions and the Allergy Immunology Clinic is ready to serve your needs
