Erytrophobia - causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
Erytrophobia (Blushing-syndrome, stress facial redness, facial flushing stress, idiopathic erythema) - fear of facial flushing, or the appearance of red spots on the face in front of others. The reason for the development of a common erytrophobia facial flushing, resulting from the increased activity of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. Diagnosis "erytrophobia" is set on the basis of complaints, medical history, the results of external examination and additional research data. Treatment - psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, sympathectomy, clipping of the sympathetic nerve trunk.
Erytrophobia
social phobia, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Diagnosis is a psychologist or therapist on the basis of complaints and inspection results. Erytrophobia with a blushing-syndrome is differentiated with redness of the face at menopause, the initial stage of rosacea, carcinoid syndrome, and facial flushing when taking certain medications. To eliminate these diseases and conditions of patients suffering from erytrophobia is sent for consultation to the gynecologist, endocrinologist, oncologist and dermatologist. A list of additional studies at erytrophobia determined individually, depending on the existing symptoms.
psychotherapy, relaxation techniques, medication and surgery. Erytrophobia Patients are taught self-hypnosis, breathing techniques and techniques of muscle relaxation. Education may be performed both individually and in groups. Parallel conduct individual psychotherapy. When erytrophobia usually used hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Relaxation and psychotherapy, as a rule, do not remove the redness of the reaction, but can help reduce the severity of erytrophobia in emotionally relevant situations, provide an opportunity to increase self-esteem and facilitate communication with other people.
If necessary, non-pharmacological treatment erytrophobia conducted in patients receiving antidepressants and beta-blockers. Beta-blockers reduce the heart rate and break a chain reaction of "emotion - heart - hyperemia of the person." Antidepressants help to reduce the level of anxiety, worry and fear when dealing with others. Both groups of drugs have an extensive list of contraindications and often cause serious side effects, so their use is limited at erytrophobia.
The most effective treatment is surgery erytrophobia - sympathectomy. A good result is observed in 92-98% of cases. Surgery is indicated in the classical form of a blushing-syndrome (redness of the entire face). When localized ( "geographical") flushing a positive effect in the long term is marked less than 50% of patients erytrophobia, so in such cases it is advisable to confine the conservative techniques. Surgery is also contraindicated in pleurisy, emphysema, pulmonary tuberculosis, severe respiratory and cardiovascular failure.
During the operation, surgeons destroy or block the sympathetic trunk innervating the upper body. Interference commonly performed using endoscopic equipment. In the armpit region operate 2 small incision in the tissue introduced a miniature camera. The camera transmits the image on the screen, all manipulations are carried out under direct vision. Sympathectomy at erytrophobia lasts 20-30 minutes. Perhaps the destruction of the sympathetic nerve with a coagulating electrical current or overlay clips. In recent years, surgeons prefer less traumatic reversible clipping.
Some patients after surgery erytrophobia experience side effects: compensatory sweating, sweating degustatorskoe and bradycardia. Compensatory sweating appears in the torso and upper legs, is expressed in most cases of mild or moderate. Removing the clip due to severe sweating takes approximately 1% of patients erytrophobia, before undergoing surgery clipping. Degustatorskoe sweating (sensation of heat and sweating face when consuming hot and spicy food) is observed in 30% of patients suffering erytrophobia, and usually does not cause serious inconvenience in daily life.
Reduced heart rate is usually expressed slightly. Most patients erytrophobia perceive this effect as a pleasant feeling of calm in situations that previously provoking significant emotional stress. In 2% of cases there is a constant weakness and fatigue, to eliminate that require the removal of the clips from the sympathetic nerve. Almost all patients erytrophobia after sympathectomy noted minor or moderate dry hands, does not cause much discomfort.