The Collaborative Dictionary

Wheal \Wheal\, n. [OE. whele, AS. hwele putrefaction, hwelian to putrefy.] A pustule; a whelk. --Wiseman. [1913 Webster]

Wheal \Wheal\, n. [Cf. Wale.] [1913 Webster]

A more or less elongated mark raised by a stroke; also, a similar mark made by any cause; a weal; a wale. [1913 Webster]

Specifically (Med.), a flat, burning or itching eminence on the skin, such as is produced by a mosquito bite, or in urticaria. [1913 Webster]

Wheal \Wheal\, n. [Cornish hwel.] (Mining) A mine. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

wheal n : a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions [syn: wale, welt, weal]

Moby Thesaurus

abscess, aposteme, bed sore, blain, bleb, blister, boil, bubo, bulla, bunion, canker, canker sore, carbuncle, chancre, chancroid, chilblain, cold sore, eschar, felon, fester, festering, fever blister, fistula, furuncle, furunculus, gathering, gumboil, hemorrhoids, kibe, lesion, papula, papule, paronychia, parulis, petechia, piles, pimple, pock, polyp, pustule, rising, scab, soft chancre, sore, stigma, strake, streak, stripe, sty, suppuration, swelling, tubercle, ulcer, ulceration, wale, weal, welt, whelk, whelp, whitlow, wound

English

Pronunciation

• , /wiːl/, /wi:l/

Rhymes with: -iːl

Homophones

• weal (in accents with the wine-whine merger)
• we'll (in accents with the wine-whine merger)
• wheel

Noun

1. A small raised swelling on the skin, often itchy, caused by a blow from a whip or an insect bite etc.

Synonyms

• weal
• welt

A wheal or wheal response (also termed a welt) is a firm, elevated, rounded or flat topped,, generally pale red papule or plaque

An itchy rash consisting of wheals may be called a uticarial exanthem, or urticaria, and more commonly as hives.

Causes

Wheals are due to fluid build up in the skin as a result of a blow or lash to the skin as commonly occurs to paintball players, or an allergic reaction to innumerable initiating agents such as drugs or insect bites. These cause infiltration of edema into 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. Finally they 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 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 compresses superficial vessels, the wheal may have a white center. The epidermis is not affected and there is no scaling.

Pathophysiology

This effect is most likely mediated by Neurokinin 1 activation in response to substance P released during the injury by cutaneous sensory nerve fibers A & C. The result of NK1 activation is plasma leakage, and arteriole dilation, which increases blood flow.

See also

Footnotes