Itchy arm

Two weeks ago my upper right arm started to itch and i could not get any relief. I scratched tell bumps formed and bleed. The attacks come out of no where and happens about five times a day. No topical has worked at all.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms the possibility of hives needs to be ruled out. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.
Many cases of hives are "idiopathic," meaning no cause is known. Others may be triggered by viral infections or medications.

The treatment of hives is antihistaminics, steroids and calamine lotion. I suggest you to get it evaluated from a dermatologist and discuss this option with him. It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.