Author: Seoyeon Shin
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Symptomatic Dermographism, more commonly known as “skin writing,” is a condition in which rubbing or scratching of the skin would lead to the reaction of flare and ware, associated with itch and pain. This condition affects the everyday life of individuals, yet there is no permanent solution for the condition to be completely eliminated.
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If you spot any red, long marks across your body, swollen and angry, and possibly over the place you’ve previously scratched, that might be a sign that you have dermographism; a response to scratch or rub in the skin by flares and wares. Despite the complicated denomination, the condition itself is fairly common, with about 5% of the world’s population showing symptoms of dermographism. This means that you can also have the condition of dermographism without knowing it.
What is Symptomatic Dermographism (SD)?
However, those with symptomatic dermographism - a derivation from dermographism - could never not know their condition. This condition applies itch to occurring flares, contrary to simple dermographism, where only red flares are present, but not the itch. Even though symptomatic dermographism tends to be the rarer derivation of dermographism, the concern for this condition is addressed in the intended manner.
The continuous itch inflicted by common scratching greatly affects the everyday lives of people. In order to prevent or to minimize this condition from occurring, patients are encouraged to wear clothing with strictly restricted fabric or to take antihistamines, which may come with side effects such as drowsiness and dehydration, which is another source that significantly impacts a person’s lifestyle.
What is the Root Cause of SD?
While dermographism, in general, is cited for having a predominance of females and familial patterns, allowing researchers to guess the direction of certain dermographism variations, the specific cause of symptomatic dermographism is currently unknown; in fact, there seems to be no outside cause for this condition. In other words, symptomatic dermographism is an idiopathic dise
ase and is most seemingly to be caused by autoimmunity, as the histamine within the body would overreact and excite the sensory nerve that perceives pain and itching.
The autoimmunity
of symptomatic dermographism is precisely why the condition may be relieved but never cured permanently. The aforementioned histamines are its fundamental cause. Similar to allergic reactions, the immune system releases histamine to an “allergen” that it has mistaken to bring harm to the body. This would lead to commonly known allergic reactions such as rhinitis, skin rash, or inflammation within the body.
Are There Any Possible Cures?
The ultimate cure for immune system-related conditions - not only including symptomatic dermographism - would be to replace the immune system as a whole. By conducting this transplant, the newly inserted immune system would no longer be reactive to unnecessary allergens or be autoimmune. However, the risks of this surgery are significant enough to go unnoticed. The process of replacing the immune system damages nearby tissue cells, potentially leading to brain damage, infertility, and an increased risk of cancer.
Allergic conditions are the most common yet unsolvable problems. There is no cure, but only temporary treatments to relieve the symptoms. The problem deepens if this condition is based on autoimmunity. While allergic conditions that are specifically reacting to allergens from the exterior environments could be avoided by simply subtracting the allergen from one’s life, autoimmunity can not work similarly. After all, it is impossible to restrict one’s self to exist in their life.
However, this does not suggest that hope for treatment in the field of allergies would thwart as a whole. Medical technology is continuously evolving, and treatments for illnesses that weren't able to be cured are being developed by the passing second. The previously stated cure of immune system replacement may seem unrealistic at the given moment, but in the future, the advancement of technology will surely make the most idealistic theories come true. After all, there is a hope for everything.
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