A small swelling on the skin, as from an insect bite, that usually itches or burns.
[Probably alteration of WALE.]
wheal
Dictionary:
wheal (hwēl, wēl)  |
n.
A small swelling on the skin, as from an insect bite, that usually itches or burns.
A small swelling on the skin, as from an insect bite, that usually itches or burns.
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| Thesaurus: wheal |
| Dental Dictionary: wheal |
(w(h)ēl)
n
n
Edematous elevation of the skin or mucosa.
| Archaeology Dictionary: wheal |
[MC]
Colloquial name for a mine, common in Devon and Cornwall in the southwest of England.
| Veterinary Dictionary: wheal |
A localized area of edema on the body surface, often attended with severe itching and usually evanescent. It is the typical lesion of urticaria.
- w. and flare reaction — a central blanching surrounded by an erythematous zone of varying diameter, sometimes with pseudopodia, observed on the skin in response to intradermal exposure to allergen (antigen). A basis for detecting particular immediate hypersensitivities in an individual. Produced following release of histamine from mast cells bearing IgE bound to Fc receptor.
| Wikipedia: Wheal |
For other uses, see Wheal (disambiguation).
 A wheal or welt on the skin of a man's neck |
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| ICD-10 | L50.9 |
|---|---|
| ICD-9 | 708 |
| DiseasesDB | 13606 |
| MedlinePlus | 000845 |
| eMedicine | med/3014 |
A wheal or wheal response, also called a welt or weal (in the UK), is a firm, elevated swelling of the skin.[1] Wheals are generally pale red in color, although color can also be deep red or purple. They may be round, oval, gyrate, annular[1] or irregular/serpiginous in shape and are usually rounded or flat topped.[2] When they are irregular/serpiginous in shape, wheals often appear with pseudopods. Wheals are usually well demarcated[2] and often itch or have a burning sensation. They typically disappear within 24-48 hours.[1] An itchy rash consisting of wheals may be called urticaria (known individually as a uticarial exanthem) or, more commonly, hives.
Causes
Wheals are due to fluid build up in the skin as a result of a blow or lash to the skin, or an allergic reaction to innumerable initiating agents such as drugs or insect bites. These cause edema in the papillary body of the dermis. Wheals may also be produced with Darier's sign, and by stroking the skin of certain normal persons who demonstrate the phenomenon called dermatographism.[3] Wheals may be formed by the injection of fluid with a hypodermic syringe.
While the borders are sharp, they are not stable, and as this short-lived papillary edema shifts, each wheal transiently moves[4] from involved to adjacent uninvolved areas over a period of hours. Also note, while this finding is usually pale red, if the amount of edema is adequate to compress superficial vessels, the wheal may have a white center.[3] The epidermis is not affected and there is no scaling.[3]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ a b c Braunwald, Eugene; Fauci, Anthony; Kasper, Dennis; Hauser, Stephen; Longo, Dan; Jameson, Larry, ed (2001). Harrison's principles of internal medicine (15th Edition ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 95 & 306. ISBN 0070072728.
- ^ a b Lee Goldman, Lee; Ausiello, Dennis, ed (2004). Cecil textbook of medicine (22nd ed. ed.). Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. p. 2451. ISBN 0-7216-9652-X.
- ^ a b c Fitzpatrick, Thomas B. ed., ed (1986). Dermatology in general medicine: textbook and atlas. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0070796890.
- ^ Habif, Thomas P. (2004). Clinical dermatology: a color guide to diagnosis and therapy. St. Louis: Mosby. p. 825. ISBN 0-323-01319-8.
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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