What Is The Reason For Redness, Itching And Swelling On Forearm?

Posted on Wed, 20 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 20 Nov 2013 Answered on

Wed, 11 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : About a week and a half ago on a camping trip my left wrist started to itch. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it got worse and worse until my hand and forearm were red and swollen. I took two benadryl every four hours and within about 24 to 36 hours everything was fine. This morning I started to get the same itch on my right wrist, in exactly the same spot. Again, I didn't think much of it, but it is now following the same pattern as before with my left arm. It is swelling up and growing. Any ideas what could be causing this? Is there any cause for concern?

Answered by Dr. Polash Sannigrahi (7 hours later)

Brief Answer: Attributed to delayed hypersensitivity reaction Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for your query. Based on your case history, the symptoms can be attributed to delayed hypersensitivity reaction. The itch & swelling in your left wrist was either due to an allergic reaction to an allergen or insect bite during the camping trip, which was relieved by an anti allergy medication (benadryl). But the appearance of similar lesions in right wrist indicates a delayed response to the allergen. Though symptomatic relief can be obtained with antihistamine preparation like Allegra & corticosteroid like Prednisolone, the underlying cause needs to be treated. So, kindly consult a Dermatologist and get a proper clinical examination done, including an Allergen test. Once the causative allergen is identified, specific management step can be taken against it. There is no need to worry, you will be fine. Wishing you a good health. Please let me know if I need to clarify further. Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar