Former “People Today” presenter Karen Webb has made her chronic illness public. She revealed to BUNTE magazine that she has been suffering from hives (technical term urticaria) for eight years.
Hives – that’s what’s behind the skin disease
Hives is a common skin disease that can be acute or chronic. The typical skin rash occurs in all age groups, with children and adolescents being particularly frequently affected.
Typical symptoms include:
reddened skin, raised, extremely itchy skin blisters (hives), sometimes: extensive swelling of the skin and mucous membranes
The part of the body where the rash appears varies from patient to patient. However, the face, hands, neck or crooks of the arms are often affected, and more rarely the feet.
Hives become dangerous when the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract swells significantly. Those affected then suffer from shortness of breath. This is always an emergency as there is a risk of suffocation. In such cases, urgently alert the emergency doctor.
In 80 percent, the trigger is not known
According to “Netdoktor”, the rash occurs because mast cells (= certain immune cells) are irritated and then release inflammatory messenger substances. The tissue hormone histamine in particular then triggers the classic hives symptoms such as hives, itching, skin redness and swelling.
In around 80 percent of those affected, the rash develops without any external trigger. In ten percent it is physical stimuli such as pressure, wind or contact with cold. Webb is one of them. Her red spots and pustules on the skin are “caused by pressure on the skin, for example from ski boots or tight belts,” she told BUNTE.
Medication helps, including for Webb
If doctors find a cause, patients should avoid it. Otherwise, creams or ointments can relieve the symptoms. If this doesn’t help, medication can also be used, the most important being anti-histamines.
Webb’s treatment also involves medication – otherwise “the itching would be difficult to bear,” she says. She receives an anti-histamine in the form of an injection every four weeks. “This helps a lot and luckily I don’t have any side effects.”
Karen Webb became known, among other things, as the presenter of the ZDF celebrity magazine “People Today”. About a year ago, the station surprisingly announced that it would discontinue the format that same year. The evening show was broadcast on TV for the last time on September 29, 2023. Webb hosted the format for 16 years.
In BUNTE she talks about her health, dating and her desire to maybe get married one day. Click here for the interview