Second-generation antihistamines such as loratadine and cetirizine are non-sedating and may also be effective in controlling pruritus in pregnant people.Knowing that oral antihistamines are generally ineffective, high-potency topical steroids are used to treat PUPPP, and ideally tapering it off after 7 days of therapy. Class I or II corticosteroid creams and ointments are used in more aggressive cases, and oral (systemic) corticosteroids can be used to treat very severe cases—although the benefits of a pregnant womans ingesting high-potency corticosteroids must be weighed carefully against possible (and mostly unknown) risks to the developing fetus or fetuses. The use of high-potency topical corticosteroids over 300 grams throughout the pregnancy may increase the risk of low birth weight for the baby. Rarely, in unusually persistent and distressing cases, some women have had their labor induced as soon as they are considered to be at term (37 weeks).When the pruritus is unbearable to the patient with PUPPP, oral prednisone in doses of 10 to 40 mg/day has been generally used for these type of severe cases. With this treatment, symptoms are usually relieved after 24 hours of the oral treatment. Sometimes, if the cases are too severe and the symptoms are extremely unbearable, early delivery can be discussed with the patient if the other treatments are ineffective. However, early delivery of the baby still does not guarantee that the symptoms will be gone. Luckily, in most cases, steroid treatment works efficiently and symptoms are generally greatly improved within several days.
Although the exact cause of the condition is not known and varying amongst individuals, there have been theories linking the cause of PUPPP to hormonal alterations, damage to the connective tissue during pregnancy, and autoimmune disorder where the evidence for these theories is currently low.This skin condition occurs mostly in first pregnancies (primigravida), in the third trimester and is more likely with multiple pregnancies (more so with triplets than twins or singletons). Estimated 75% of people with typical PUPPP people have never given birth. Occasionally, this condition may also occur postpartum, but rarely does this ever occur in the first and second trimester.Other than additional associations with hypertension and induction of labour, there are no observed difference in the outcome of the pregnancy for mothers or babies. Dermatological Causes
During pregnancy as the abdominal wall rapid stretching, it is hypothesized that there is an inflammatory reaction that occurs due to the exposure of collagen. This reaction has been seen more frequently in those who are having twins or triplets compared to those with single births. This is hypothesized to be due to increased stretching of the abdominal wall while carrying twins or triplets, causing an earlier onset of PUPPP when compared to those undergoing single births. Hormonal Causes
Throughout pregnancy, there are hormonal changes that occur where it has been hypothesized that these changes may contribute to the onset of PUPPP. Although current research is low on this hypothesis, it has been seen that those who have had multiple gestations can exhibit an increased level of progesterone.