A.Y. Chen Illustration & Design
  • Home
  • Portfolio
    • National Science Foundation (NSF)
    • Science magazine art
    • Vector Art
    • Black & White
    • Classic work
  • Animation
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Children's book art

Hives, part 2: a “simple” matter of swelling?

6/21/2017

118 Comments

 
Hives swelling, redness, immune system over-triggered, causes of acute and chronic hives
So, in the last post I asked the question, what might be happening when our immune system has been “over-triggered” by a pathogen or allergen, that could then lead to the formation of a hive? Well, we talked previously about how the blood vessels were like pipelines that deliver things to and take things from various places in our bodies. When our immune system is over-triggered, a rush of cells and fluid are piped over to the site of the trigger. If you look first at the two illustrations depicting what is happening in wound healing, you see a scenario similar to what is happening in the case of hives. It is also accompanied by a rise in body temperature, which is sometimes enough to kill some of the pathogens that triggered our immune response.

But then why do hives spread all over the body, or cover vast regions of the body, where the initial irritation did NOT occur? It is a question that the medical and research community still haven’t solved. But in principle, this swelling results from the rush of immune cells and fluid out of the pipeline and into the region to start the process of healing. And as we mentioned in our introduction, the immune system can be over-triggered.

When you look at the bottom graphic, you’ll see that a hives outbreak can be classified into two categories: acute and chronic. Possible causes are in the red and blue boxes, but what’s in the black box is what’s of most concern to folks like me who have had a massive hives reaction. The reason is because this list is full of ordinary, everyday triggers, such that it can lead one to a state of paranoia over anything and everything!

So in the next post, we’ll continue to talk about the mysteries of hives, treatment, and a philosophical approach to living in the specter of a future hives outbreak.
118 Comments


    The purpose of this blog is to explore more effective and exciting ways to communicate science.

    Archives

    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.