Symptoms
If it is an allergic reaction, it can lead not only to wheals but also to other, sometimes serious, symptoms. In the case of an allergy to a certain substance, the body may react with a reddening of the skin after the absorption. This is often followed by wheals at the same spot, which may also be associated with itching.
In the case of more severe allergies, severe itching or scratching of the throat can also occur.In very severe cases, wheals can also cause a severe allergic reaction, a so-called anaphylactic reaction (anaphylactic shock). This is potentially life-threatening and must be treated as an emergency as it can be accompanied by a drop in blood pressure, palpitations, shortness of breath and cardiac arrest. Back wheals are also caused by an allergic reaction or hypersensitivity of the skin.
The occurrence of wheals on the back is rather rare compared to other parts of the body. However, if a skin reaction occurs at this point, a local allergy is likely. This is usually triggered by a specific substance that is present on the skin at this point.
Sometimes hives are also triggered by certain washing lotions or shampoos. Often, one or more hives are formed after insect bites. As soon as the insect venom has decomposed, which can take several hours, the hives usually disappear again.
Especially on the back, there can also be a formation of hives through sweat. In this area one usually sweats a lot and the resulting formation of hives makes a hypersensitization of the skin clear. This can lead to the development of a so-called sweat allergy, which is one of the so-called pseudo-allergies.
Diagnosis
Often a gaze diagnosis is sufficient to recognize wheals as such. This is mainly due to the typical shape and structure that characterize a wheal. However, the cause of the formation of wheals cannot be identified.
Since it is usually an allergic reaction, an allergy test can help to find the cause. For this purpose, the so-called prick test has been used for a long time. In this skin test, various possible allergic substances are applied to the skin with an adhesive strip.
After a short time, the skin area that has come into contact with a substance and to which an allergy exists begins to react. If the areas remain inconspicuous, i.e. they show neither redness nor swelling, it can be assumed that there is no allergy to the applied substance. As a rule, substances are tested with which humans frequently come into contact. These include, among others, pollen from various plants or animal hair allergens.
