stress and hives

[Guest guest]

I know there has been a few emails on hives.

I have idiopathic hives. I was tested for different allergens..nothing

showed. Finally, the allergist at the University of Wisconsin Madison

Medical School said they were idiopathic and would probably burn out in 10

years. Well...it is going on 14 years that I have had them. Whenever I am

fighting a respiratory infection, they act up. The only thing that has kept

them in check is Zantac and when they are really bad, allergy medicine. I

recently stopped taking Allegra because my nose was always running,

sneezing, etc without getting sicker or better. I read that one of the side

effects of Allegra was the sneezing and runny nose. Since stopping the

allegra, my allergies haven't been better or worse. Go figure...

I found an article on the net about stress and hives which I've included as

well as the link. Has anyone found a medicine they take that helps with

theirs?

My theory about why I have the hives is this. I had bronchitis at least 3

times in less than 3 months and it seemed to have a correlation with the

hives starting up. Ever since then, when ever I was coming down with

bronchitis the hives would be in full force.

Anyway...here's the article.

STRESS AND HIVES

A Valid Yet Paradoxical Relationship

By: M. Brown-Riddle

http://www.geocities.com/s_brown_riddle/Stress/Documents/Stress.html

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Stress and Hives

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Since hives are caused by the release of histamine in the mast cells, as are

many other allergic reactions, it is reasonable and logical to assume that

any allergic reaction involving the mast cells would have a similar etiology

in the immunological release of histamine that causes hives. Much of the

information found about the body's allergic reaction to excess cortisol was

generalized for all allergy types. Additionally, the normal allergic

response without stress as a factor was looked at as it related to hives and

to general allergies in comparing the two processes. When all of the

information is put together, the comparisons are notably reliable.

When considering the presence of hives is a result of an allergic reaction

and the release of histamine in the skin, it is easy to see why hives are

mainly looked at as an allergic condition. The purpose of this assignment is

to help in educating the public about the dangers of prolonged stress,

especially the effect it has on chronic hives. Many medical studies and

journal articles do name stress or emotional distress along with allergy as

a probable cause of cholinergic hives (heat induced). (1,4, 15,16, 17,19) In

fact, The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology lists emotional

stress as one of five etiologic factors for urticaria and angioedema in its

teaching curriculum. (18) Chronic idiopathic hives, the most common and

perplexing type, is strongly linked with the allergic-type reaction that

long-term stress can cause in the body. However, since stress tolerance and

reaction thresholds are capricious and therefore difficult to examine

scientifically in repeatable studies, it is no surprise that the medical

community is hesitant to embrace such an ambiguous explanation.

In addition to the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, stress is found to have

profound effects on the digestive system through the gastrointestinal

hormone vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). (13) A prolonged exposure to

stress causes an increase in the release of VIP, which is found to damage

certain tissues in the body at higher than normal levels. (13) Studies have

shown accelerated levels of VIP in those who develop stress-related ulcers.

(12,13) A 1981 study by European researchers Fjellner and Hagermark (14)

showed a direct link between VIP and the formation of hives. Subjects in the

study developed hives when VIP was injected deep into the skin. Clinical

tissue analysis found that in this study VIP had the same affect on the mast

cells as an allergen.

The 1991 Lancet editorial " VIP and the skin " concludes that the 1981 VIP

study, together with many others analyzed, strongly suggest that the body's

response to excess cortisol from long-term stress exposure causes an

increase in VIP production. Research has shown that VIP seems to have an

activation pathway similar to that of IgE antibodies. (13) Repeated exposure

to VIP in this manner causes the mast cells to release large amounts of

histamine in the skin, which then causes hives to develop. (13,14) Although

testing VIP levels in patients with chronic idiopathic hives probably

wouldn't help in treating the symptoms, based on personal experience with

this condition, sometimes it helps psychologically just to know why they

happen. If a possible cause is found for this agonizing condition, the

associated stress and anxiety levels could be reduced in many patients. (8)

Women are twice as likely to suffer from hives as men (1) and one major

cause for that difference could be the differences between the male and

female endocrine systems. Diagram 9 shows the normal balance of essential

hormones in women, as well as their priority in sustaining life (adrenaline

being the top priority). Without even factoring in the immense effects on

the endocrine system caused by stress, the hormonal balance in women is

already compromised during each menstrual cycle, especially during ovulation

in the third week. To stimulate ovulation, progesterone levels increase

while estrogen levels decrease. The body recognizes the change and tries to

compensate for the lost estrogen by diverting cortisol, the lowest priority

hormone, to take over the " duties " of the lost estrogen until it can be

replaced, as shown in Diagram 10. More adrenaline is produced to take over

for the lost cortisol, however for some varying period of time, the body has

too much adrenaline and too little cortisol. This hormonal adjustment is

largely thought to be responsible for premenstrual syndrome, especially

affecting the intensity of PMS. Following menstruation, the hormone levels

return to normal until the next cycle begins. When the hormonal balance is

challenged due to ongoing stress, the endocrine system is unable to equalize

the essential hormones at any time during the cycle. For some women, the

effects of this can be severe PMS, edema, increased allergy, decreased

energy, and the inability to cope with stress. (3, 16) The factors that

contribute to this condition also contribute to the formation of

stress-related allergies, such as chronic hives. This correlation supports

the suggested relationship between stress and hives, and also the 2:1

female/male ratio of those with hives

Allergy tests and common sense deductive theory are usually able to

determine the cause of acute hives, especially the life-threatening

anaphylaxis type reaction. However, only 5% of all chronic cases are

attributed to a specific allergen. It is clear that chronic idiopathic

urticaria is a large problem with no easy answers. The central block in

tracing etiology is the multiple causes of hives that make it difficult to

establish a pattern of exposure. Compounding the confusion is the

unfortunate paradox in where treatment is often overridden by the ongoing

effects of stress. Urticaria creates enough stress reaction itself to

perpetuate the symptoms for much longer than they may have existed otherwise

(8). (Examples of added stressors) Often the symptoms are exaggerated at

night. Sleep deprivation aggravates stress levels further while hindering

the body's ability to repair itself.

The long-term effects of elevated cortisol in the body due to prolonged

stress can actually be the cause of the hives, or the reason the symptoms

persist. However, the acute stress created by the symptoms continues the

production of excess cortisol, which is temporarily beneficial to the

symptoms of hives, reducing the inflammation and itching. (8) This

paradoxical vicious circle perpetuates itself and can easily be the

explanation for the long-term nature of a condition that, by medical

definition, should resolve itself within two weeks.

This being true, the obvious solution to the problem is learning how to

effectively manage stress, in which case many health benefits will result.

Appropriate medication can provide the same anti-inflammatory benefit as

cortisol without adding to the problem. In approximately 75% of patients,

chronic hives are found to gradually or spontaneously diminish within 6-8

months. In 90-95% of cases, the symptoms disappear within 2 years. (8) It

would be impossible to know definitively if stress management improved the

condition or it just spontaneously resolved itself. Either way, based on the

host of other illnesses and conditions found to be associated with

inefficient stress management, it would be wise to try to reduce or

eliminate stress in conjunction with existing treatment methods for

long-term symptom relief.

The research on the correlation between stress and hives is far more

extensive than ever imagined and in its analysis, the verdict is clear. The

effects of hormonal imbalance caused by the body's reaction to long-term

stress is proven to be a substantial threat to good health. The body's

inability to maintain equilibrium in its delicate biochemical balance due to

ongoing stress causes a scientifically measurable increase in the

overproductionof many hormones. Excess hormones produced for extended

periods of time, such as, adrenaline, cortisol,and VIP, has been linked to a

wide range of conditions and illnesses. One such condition that occurs can

cause excess hormones to mimic the defensive action of antibodies in mast

cells, creating a large release of histamine in the skin. The result of that

progression can lead to a reaction that mirrors an allergic response, such

as acute or chronic idiopathic hives. The same stress reaction in others can

exaggerate an existing case of hives. Taking into account all the evidence

shown, stress is a viable factor to be considered in the etiology of chronic

idiopathic hives.

bonnieh4455@...