Cholinergic Urticaria

Localised Heat Urticaria

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Hi all,

I’ve been searching the literature and is seems Localised Heat Urticaria is a very rare condition. I have the exact same symptoms: local severe itching to the pinpoint exposed area, with redness and slight swelling.

The heat can be from hot water, the sun, leaning against a hot car hood, cooking over a gas stove, or a heater.

I never get it from sweating, eating or drinking hot foods, or food generally having a high core temperature.

Has anyone any insights or links they can share? Im very interested in finding the cause of the condition, and appropriate treatment options.

I very much appreciate any information,

Many thanks,
Shell

Comments

  1. Hey there, Shell
    I was just recently diagnosed with Urticaria myself. My Dr is sending me to an immunologist to check for an underlying cause. It could be allergy related, but the jury is still out on that. Most new studies are involving the underlying disorder. Because histamine, which is what causes the visible symptoms, ie hives, are caused by mast cells, I am being checked for mastocytosis. Out of curiosity, do you have any permanent or long lasting lesions or spots on your body?
    Just curious, because my Urticaria is arising from any heat, friction, or even slight touch on the lesions themselves. I have very severe epilepsy and take a medication that is known to cause bone marrow failure, or in medical terms, aplastic anemia. They are being pretty aggressive because my case causes an increase in seizures every time I have an attack. The medication I take and my seizure disorder may be the root cause of my Urticaria.
    Because of the fact that there needs to be more research done in this field, I feel that anyone with a possible case of cholinergic urticaria should see an immunologist/allergist or a very good dermatologist for a full workup. The more info they can get from us, the more info they will have for other patients. I’m one of those guys who never grew out of the “Why?” stage lol. I drive my docs nuts, but I truly want to get to the root of the cause, not just treatments.
    For now, I take antihistamines and an antidepressant that has histamine blocking abilities. Other than that, try to avoid any triggers, and also take a peek at the forum where I found a wealth of actual patient info on how to manage them yourself. For now, science is lagging behind a little in this subject. A lot of what can be done has to rest on ourselves. It is painful, frightening, and exhausting but, when you start to empower your own mind and body over this, you empower yourself as a whole.
    We are here to talk, help, moan, and lift each other up! Together, we can make the difference. Please go see a good doctor, because without our collective efforts, they don’t have much to work with. Never forget that they are your employees, not vice versa. If you don’t already have a prescription antihistamine, try out some zyrtec, and see if that doesn’t help you out a little. Of course it’s best to check with a doc before taking ANY med, even over the counter, but if you have tolerated it before…it might be worth a shot.
    Best wishes!