Urticaria is also known as hives. This common condition can appear and disappear quite quickly, or it can be an ongoing skin health issue for some patients. Hives can be very uncomfortable and might lead to emotional distress or frustration, as well as trouble sleeping and worries about appearance. Hives can be linked with more serious inflammatory responses, so it is worth figuring out what the trigger of this skin condition is for each patient.
The most common symptoms of hives are:
The causes of hives can vary from patient to patient. Many people get hives related to things like ragweed allergies or food allergies. Sometimes hives are a result of coming into contact with an irritating substance. In other cases, hives can be caused by a systemic and more serious reaction to a medication, foods, or something in the environment.
Hives can also be a warning sign of more severe inflammatory responses like anaphylaxis. Patients should not panic when they see hives on their skin, but if they feel itching in their throat or their face swells, they should get to the emergency room right away.
The risk factors for hives are:
Diagnosis of hives is usually quite easy, just by looking at the skin’s appearance and taking a full medical history for the patient. You might need to track exposure to certain foods, substances, or irritants over the course of a few weeks to provide concrete information that your doctor can use to help determine a treatment plan. Many hives cases are not severe, so a simple doctor’s office visit is all that is needed to make a diagnosis.
Drugs can be given to patients with hives to help reduce skin irritation and manage itching. These are usually cortisone creams and things like oral antihistamines. In cases where hives return again and again, immune-suppressing drugs might be given to help calm down the allergic reaction in the body. For those with angioedema in the family, testing for this condition might be necessary so the correct treatment can be provided.
In severe cases of hives, anti-inflammatories like prednisone might also be given to help control the immune response and the severity of patient discomfort. If your hives have progressed to itching of the throat or the face, or you feel like you cannot breathe, you need to seek emergency care right away. These can be signs of a severe condition called anaphylaxis which can be life-threatening.
Prevention of hives usually requires some weeks of eliminating substances like food and skincare products as well as environmental allergens until the culprit behind the hives is identified. Avoiding things that cause allergic reactions is the most effective way to prevent having an allergic reaction and getting hives. You will also need to be aware that you might need to take a daily regimen of antihistamines and other medications if your hives are in response to a wide array of things in your environment.