Q: One fine morning, my lips swelled gradually till they became painful. The doctor diagnosed it as an allergy and advised several tests which, according to him, were normal. He put me on de-worming medicine and antiallergic tablets besides B-complex and vitamin C. The problem was solved but resurfaced after a week or so. But now the gap between recurrence and severity has decreased but still does occur now and then. Before it appears my soles etc. get itchy and when the swelling is at its peak, it is painful.

A:You probably have urticaria. The eruptions come and go. This process may continue for a long time. In most cases the condition will subside spontaneously. Till then minimal medication should be given to achieve control. If after a reasonable period of time the condition persists, effort must be made to find the cause and eliminate it.