allergic vasculitis

[crosslopez]

how do you treat allergic vasculitis?

i started having lesions on my legs on May 2007 and i still have them. i cannot really remember what drug i took, but i am certain that i had colds at that time and probably took meds to relieve my colds.

a dermatologist prescribed prednisone starting july and tapered off on november 2007 and they disappeared for a time but would show up once in a while (even when i was on prednisone). the doctor would increase my dosage of prednisone (and thus lengthened the tapering off process), that's why i ended up taking it for about 5 months. however, i still have them.

aside from prednisone, is there any other treatment that is available for me?

[crosslopez]

i have gone to an allergologist and she made me take tests. she confirmed that my blood vessels were indeed inflamed. if i remember correctly, she also made me take an ANA test which resulted as negative.

when i was young (like 5-8 years old), i was allergic to shellfish, but for some reason i don't itch anymore when i eat them. aside from that, i have no other known allergy.

i can't seem to pinpoint any food/drug/temperature which triggers the appearance of the lesions on my legs. they just appear sporadically.  

is there any other way to treat this without taking steroids? the last time i took them i gained 40 pounds and still the lesions kept on appearing though i was on the meds.

thank you

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

Corticosteroids appear to be the mainstay of therapy for allergic vasculitis. Avoiding any known triggers and the allergen is also necessary. I suggest that you ask for an immunology or allergology referral .The specialists may be able to provide other options for treatment.

Have you been seen by an allergologist?

Do you have any known allergies prior to this ?