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What Causes Redness And Itching Sensation All Over Body?

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Posted on Wed, 25 Feb 2015
Question: please help me and please address each question i ask....
1) i started to itch on my body for about one year and i went to three dermatologists and each one does not know what i have.....
last august i decided to go to italy and very good friends of mine brought me to another skin doctor and he said whatever i have will go away. i thought this was stupid what he had to tell me .
i decided to go to another doctor ( friend of the family ) and he gave me an antihistimine which i took for one month everyday 10m 1 pill and the itch went away finally.after the itch came right back after the 30 days were up. i forgot to meantion that i had BLOOD WORK done in italy and thank god nothing was found .....:)))))))))))
im not imagining this itch on my body all over.......i start to itch in the day and then at times it becomes a lot and other times nothing.....but i do itch every day.
this itch is not from stress......im not a stressful person.
i decided to go to a pharmacy here in the states and buy over the counter antihistime and took only one pill about ever 10-12 days , since the itch went away but came back in those amount of days ( about 10-12 days).
i just do not want to live on this because im a healthy male 47 who goes to the gym and i feel very good except when i start to itch which makes me crazy.
so heres what i would like to know.....
1.......first what in your opinion do you think what this might be ?
2.........is this a serious condition ?
i read online that it could be the liver, cancer and i know one should never believe whats out there online.....
3...........if it was something serious , wouldn't it be found in the blood work i took ?
4............ i'm planning on going to another doctor for skin in new york city charging me 300 dollars for the visit and im just confused if i should go or not. i feel he will be like the others and i threw out 300 dollars to see him in manhattan.

please i ask you heart to heart ,human to human what can this itch be ....
i stopped taking the antihistimine because i dont take pills since being healthy as i know and feel so i suffer a little from the itch.
sometimes i try very hard not to itch and ignore but its very difficult.

pleaseeeeeeeeeeee what can this be ?
alergic from foods ?

and do you think what this is very serious ?
please i appreciate everything and anything you tell me.
i just do not know , if i should see this new doctor whos expensive ....

also how dangerous is it to take an antihistimine .....i hear it can do damage to the liver but also as a young male i dont feel like i should be relying on an antihistimine....

right now i decided to stop for the last three weeks but i continue to itch.....
thank you so much from the bottom of my heart
please take your time to answer my questions .....
my skin is not dry, cracked or anything out of the norm....my skin looks fine.

when i do itch i get a redness probably diue to the itch......
sometimes i feel inside my body before i itch a reddness coming about.....

what do i have ? im so crazy , i just do not know why this has come about....its now going on for about one year and half ......
doctor
Answered by Dr. Parin N. Parmar (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Please provide more details

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thank you for asking at HCM.

I went through your history and would like to know more details about you as follows:

a. You have mentioned about redness while itching. Do you have any redness before scratching? Do you develop red spots before scratching over itchy areas/other areas?

b. Do you have any other medical disorders? Do you need to take any medication on regular/frequent basis?

c. Do you have any digestive complaints? constipation? Frequent stomach pain?

d. Do you have any known allergies? Do you have any other allergic disorders?

e. How long does every episode of itching last? Does it responds to antihistamines? Does it subside without antihistamines?

f. Does any particular food aggravate/precipitate itching?

g. Do you have more itching episodes at night or day? Any particular activity that may cause more itching?

Above details would help me to know more about your complaints. Please provide above details on follow-up. I will try my best to help you with best of my knowledge and experience.

Wish you the best of the health ahead.

Thank you & Regards,

Dr Parin N Parmar
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Parin N. Parmar (8 hours later)
thank you for responding .....here is to best answer your questions......

a....i sometimes will develop a very light redness on the skin ( neck and/or chest) before i itch and then i itch right away.....there are no spots that develop or any kind of bumps....most of the time i feel to itch on my legs and/or stomach with out anything developing . so i start to itch.

b.....no other medical disorder at all....i do not take any medicine for anything.
i feel great always besides the itching when it comes. its annoying.

c....no digestive complaints....no constipation....no pain at all with the stomach

d.....i do not know of any allergies at all...no allergic disorder known.

e.....the itching lasts about 30 minutes maybe a little more and sometimes less.
when i do take " antihistimine " the itch ALWAYS goes away with in one
hour and does not return until 9-10 days later.

f...... i do not know of any food that aggravates the itch.

g.......when i do decide to go to sleep , i do not itch at all. i sleep very very well
i never itch at night when i go to sleep.
sometimes i find myself if i itch a lot , i will head to sleep because i know
i will be ok and the itch goes away. i sleep normal hours 7-8 .

p.s./ like i said i do not take any medicine at all and basically feel well and healthy and feel good all the time.

PLEASE IN YOUR OPINION WHAT CAN THIS BE ???
doctor
Answered by Dr. Parin N. Parmar (46 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Evaluation, antihistamine medications & supplements will help

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thank you for your follow-up and detailed answers.

I would like to make suggestions for you as follows:

1. For patients with episodes of itching for 1 year, I usually suggest some basic investigations: Complete blood counts, ESR, CRP, serum SGPT, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum proteins, thyroid function tests, ANA, urine and stool examination.

As you already have done investigations, please make sure basic investigations are done.

2. Personally, from your detailed history, I don't think you could be allergic, however, if I want to be very sure, I would suggest my such patients allergy testing for common air-borne allergens and food allergens.

3. There are some physiological triggers for such itchy episodes like sweating, sunlight exposure, cold/hot water exposure, etc. I would suggest you to observe yourself for such triggers.

4. For treatment, I would suggest you to take an antihistamine as-and-when-needed for itching episode. I would like to mention that it does not "cure" the reason for itching but it controls itching, therefore it is helpful.

5. I also prescribe my such patients a multivitamin-multimineral supplement for at least 3 months, especially vitamin D, E, A, selenium, zinc, essential fatty acid. Such supplementation may improve immunity and skin in general.

6. If you have a dry skin, applying moisturizing lotion over skin immediately after bathing also will help to improve your skin.

7. I also suggest my such patients avoiding too spicy/too hot foods, which sometimes can trigger itching. Please avoid tight woolen clothing, which may worsen itching. Loose-fitting, comfortable clothes are best for such patients in my opinion.

8. Looking at your general health and your details, personally I don't think such itchy episodes are due to any serious condition. So please do not worry at present. Especially if all above mentioned investigations are normal, it is very likely you have some "benign" cause of urticaria.

Hope above information will be helpful to you.

Should you have any further query, please feel free to ask on follow-up.

Wish you the best of the health ahead.

Thank you & Regards,

Dr Parin N Parmar
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Parin N. Parmar

Allergist and Immunologist

Practicing since :2006

Answered : 870 Questions

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What Causes Redness And Itching Sensation All Over Body?

Brief Answer: Please provide more details Detailed Answer: Hello, Thank you for asking at HCM. I went through your history and would like to know more details about you as follows: a. You have mentioned about redness while itching. Do you have any redness before scratching? Do you develop red spots before scratching over itchy areas/other areas? b. Do you have any other medical disorders? Do you need to take any medication on regular/frequent basis? c. Do you have any digestive complaints? constipation? Frequent stomach pain? d. Do you have any known allergies? Do you have any other allergic disorders? e. How long does every episode of itching last? Does it responds to antihistamines? Does it subside without antihistamines? f. Does any particular food aggravate/precipitate itching? g. Do you have more itching episodes at night or day? Any particular activity that may cause more itching? Above details would help me to know more about your complaints. Please provide above details on follow-up. I will try my best to help you with best of my knowledge and experience. Wish you the best of the health ahead. Thank you & Regards, Dr Parin N Parmar