| What is Hives | | | | larger hives that, for example, can cover half of your |
| Hives are red and sometimes itchy bumps on your | | | | child's abdomen. |
| skin. An allergic reaction to a drug or food usually | | | | People with allergy symptoms often have asthma. |
| causes them. Allergic reactions cause your body to | | | | Sometimes a cough is the first symptom of asthma, |
| release chemicals that can make your skin swell up in | | | | but a cough can be a symtpom of other things also. |
| hives. People who have other allergies are more likely | | | | Wheezing, especially at night or after exercise, is |
| to get hives than other people. Other causes include | | | | common with asthma. |
| infections and stress. | | | | Treatment of Hives |
| Hives usually cause itching, but may also burn or sting. | | | | Urticarias can be very difficult to treat. There are no |
| They can appear anywhere on the body, including the | | | | guaranteed treatments or means of controlling attacks, |
| face, lips, tongue, throat, or ears. Hives vary in size | | | | and some sub-populations are treatment resistant, with |
| (from a pencil eraser to a dinner plate), and may join | | | | medications spontaneously losing their effectiveness |
| together to form larger areas known as plaques. They | | | | and requiring new medications to control attacks. It can |
| can last for hours, or up to one day before fading. | | | | be difficult to determine appropriate medications since |
| Causes of Hives | | | | some such as loratadine require a day or two to build |
| Ingestion or Inhalation | | | | up to effective levels, and since the condition is |
| When the source of hives can be determined, most | | | | intermittent and outbreaks typically clear up without |
| cases are caused by ingestion of a substance. Drugs | | | | any treatment. |
| can suddenly cause hives even if the person has been | | | | Many antihistamines are available without prescription, |
| taking them for years. Many foods or food additives | | | | such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), taken in doses of |
| can also cause hives suddenly, even in small amounts. | | | | 25 milligrams and chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), |
| Dermatographism. The name of this condition literally | | | | taken in a dose of 4 milligrams. These can be taken up |
| means "write on the skin." When pressure is applied to | | | | to three times a day, but because these medications |
| the skin or the skin is scratched, raised lines appear on | | | | can cause drowsiness, they are often taken at |
| those areas due to histamine-based angioedema that | | | | bedtime.The most notorious such test was cytotoxic |
| leads to swelling beneath the skin. | | | | testing, which was promoted during the early 1980s by |
| The cause of chronic urticaria is often more difficult to | | | | storefront clinics, laboratories, nutrition consultants, |
| identify. Most cases are called chronic idiopathic | | | | chiropractors, and medical doctors. Advocates claimed |
| urticaria, which means they're caused by the body's | | | | it could determine sensitivity to food, which they |
| unexplainable development of antibodies to itself | | | | blamed for asthma, arthritis, constipation, diarrhea, |
| (auto-antibodies). | | | | hypertension, obesity, stomach disorders, and many |
| Symptoms of Hives | | | | other conditions |
| Hives usually begin with itching. Then wheals quickly | | | | Treatment for Hives |
| develop. The wheals usually remain small (less than | | | | Although useful in treating hives and angioedema, |
| ½ inch across). Wheals that are larger (up to 4 | | | | these medications are often ineffective in treating |
| inches across) may look like rings of redness with a | | | | hereditary angioedema. Medications used specifically to |
| pale center. Typically, crops of hives come and | | | | treat HAE on a long-term basis include certain |
| go.varied in size, with some being smaller than your | | | | androgens, such as danazol (Danocrine), that help |
| child's finger tip and other's larger than a half-dollar size. | | | | regulate levels of blood proteins. |
| Also, hives can often merge or join to form even | | | | |