Urticaria

Overview Hives are a type of allergic reaction that creates itchy bumps on your skin. What are hives? Hives are raised red bumps (welts) or splotches on the skin. They’re a type of swelling on the surface of your skin and happen when your body has an Hives are often very itchy, but you might also feel burning or stinging. They can be as small as a fingertip or as big as a dinner plate. The medical name for hives is urticaria. Sometimes, the welts from hives join together to form larger areas called plaques. Hives tend to fade within 24 hours, although they may be noticeable for several days or longer. Types of hives Acute urticaria refers to hives that don’t last very long (less than six weeks). Chronic urticaria refers to hives that happen at least twice a week for more than six weeks. Chronic, spontaneous urticaria is the name for chronic hives that don’t have an obvious cause. An older name for this condition is chronic idiopathic urticaria. There’s also a condition called physical urticaria, or inducible urticaria. These hives might pop up when you’re in the cold, heat or sun. Some people react to vibrations or pressure, exercising or sweating. Physical hives usually appear within an hour after exposure. This type of hives can also be chronic. What’s the difference between hives and a rash? A rash is a skin condition that involves something out of the ordinary, like spots, swelling, itchiness or redness. Hives is an example of a rash, but not all rashes are hives. Who ...

Call 911 or rush to your nearest emergency room if you develop signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, including: • A sudden, widespread outbreak of hives or rash • Shortness of breath • Wheezing • Irregular heartbeat • Sudden, severe diarrhea • Shallow, rapid breathing • Nausea and vomiting • Dizziness or fainting • Swelling of the face, tongue, or throat • A feeling of impending doom The cause of chronic hives is usually unknown. Studies suggest that between 80% and 90% of cases are idiopathic. Even with an extensive diagnosis, a cause may never be found. Females tend to be affected more than males. People with chronic hives also tend to have other atopic (allergy-causing) conditions like asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis (hay fever). • Zuberbier T, Abdul Latiff AH, Abuzakouk M, et al. Allergy. 2022 Mar;77(3):734-66. doi:10.1111/all.15090 • Schaefer P. Am Fam Physician. 2017 Jun 1;95(11):717-24. • Branco ACCC, Yoshikawa FSY, Pietrobon AJ, Sato MN. Mediators Inflamm. 2018;2018:9524075. doi:10.1155/2018/9524075 • Jain S. Dermatol Res Pract. 2014;2014:674709. doi:10.1155/2014/674709 • Happel CS, Saini S. Curr Treat Options Allergy. 2017;4: 438–49. doi:10.1007/s40521-017-0147-z • American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.

Acute urticaria (hives) is a common skin condition that affects up to 20% of people at some point in their lives, and can transition into chronic urticaria for up to 8% of the population. Hives tend to go away on their own without treatment, but self-care strategies like taking a cooling bath can help manage discomfort. Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin What Causes Hives? Knowing the cause of hives can help determine treatment. Hives typically occur as a reaction to an allergen or another physical trigger, such as heat. They can also be caused by an underlying health condition. In some cases, there is no known cause for an outbreak of hives. • Foods you are allergic to, such as nuts or eggs • Certain plants like stinging nettles or poison ivy • Medications such as antibiotics or certain blood pressure medications • Ingredients in cosmetics or other products • Latex • Exposure to sunlight or hot temperatures • Viral or bacterial infections • Certain autoimmune conditions such as celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune hypothyroidism If your urticaria is related to an autoimmune condition, you can still use many of the same treatments that are typically used for allergic skin reactions. How Are Hives Treated? The best way to treat hives is to avoid getting them in the first place. If they're caused by an allergic reaction or an environmental trigger, it is important to find out what those triggers are. Taking steps to avoid your triggers is the best thing you can do ...

What is cholinergic urticaria? Cholinergic urticaria is a common chronic inducible urticaria that is characterised by the presence of short-lived transient wheals which last for 15–30 minutes. It is also sometimes referred to as cholinergic angioedema urticaria or heat bumps. Who gets cholinergic urticaria? The prevalence of this physical urticaria is higher in persons with What causes cholinergic urticaria? Any stimulus that can cause precipitate this inducible urticaria. This includes: • Exercise (most common trigger) • High temperature exposure, eg, hot water baths • Spicy food ingestion • Emotional stress. There are several theories regarding the pathogenesis including: • Affected patients may have an increased number of muscarinic receptors on cutaneous mast cells in areas that demonstrate hives, therefore the cholinergic nervous system is the cause. • The urticaria occurs as a result of a rise in core body temperature, associated with sweating. • Other authorities postulate that rather than shifts in core body temperature, IgE-mediated allergy to a component of human sweat is the immediate trigger. What are the clinical features of cholinergic urticaria? Heat bumps typically present with: • A number of small (1–4 mm) punctate wheals, often surrounded by a larger erythematous flare • Wheals are • They may coalesce to form larger swellings. • Lesions generally first appear on the trunk and neck and spread distally to the limbs and face. They may also appear elsewhere. ...

What is urticaria? Hives (urticaria) are a reaction that causes red, itchy, swollen welts on the skin. Typically, hives develop as an allergic reaction to food, drugs or other substances. Also, urticaria can occur during viral infections. Stress and sun exposure can be triggers as well. They come suddenly and go away just as suddenly. Symptoms Red itchy welts anywhere in the body that come and go suddenly are urticaria. In rare cases, hives are part of a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis. Signs of anaphylaxis include: • Difficulty breathing • Confusion • Rapid heart beat • Swelling of the lips, tongue, throat • Wheezing • Slurred speech • Confusion • Bluish skin (cyanosis) • Light-headedness, dizziness, fainting • Hives and generalized itching • Anxiety • Heart palpitations • Nausea, vomiting • Diarrhea • Abdominal pain or cramping • Cough Anaphylaxis is an emergency. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you suspect anaphylaxis. Treatment Avoiding any known causes and triggers of urticaria is the best way to prevent them. If the hives are caused by an allergy, antihistamines — medications that counter the immune system’s chemicals released against the allergen — may be given. When to Call for Help If your child develops the any of the above symptoms, call your pediatrician.

What is urticaria? weals (hives) or angioedema (swellings, in 10%) or both (in 40%). There are several types of urticaria. The name urticaria is derived from the common European stinging nettle 'Urtica dioica'. A weal (or wheal) is a superficial skin-coloured or pale skin swelling, usually surrounded by erythema (redness) that lasts anything from a few minutes to 24 hours. Usually very itchy, it may have a burning sensation. mucous membranes and can be skin-coloured or red. It resolves within 72 hours. Angioedema may be itchy or painful but is often asymptomatic. Acute urticarial weals What causes acute urticaria? Weals are due to release of chemical mediators from tissue mast cells and circulating basophils. These chemical mediators include histamine, platelet-activating factor and cytokines. The mediators activate sensory nerves and cause dilation of blood vessels and leakage of fluid into surrounding tissues. Bradykinin release causes angioedema. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain urticaria. The immune, arachidonic acid and coagulation systems are involved, and genetic mutations are under investigation. Serum sickness and deposition in affected tissues. Acute urticaria can be induced by the following factors but the cause is not always identified. • Acute viral infection — an upper respiratory infection, hepatitis, • Acute bacterial infection— a dental abscess, sinusitis , • allergy ( IgE mediated) — usually milk, egg, peanut, shellfish • • inflammatory dr...

Hives Illustration of hives on different skin colors. Hives can cause swollen, itchy welts. Hives is also called urticaria. Hives — also called urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-e-uh) — is a skin reaction that causes itchy welts. Chronic hives are welts that last for more than six weeks and return often over months or years. Often, the cause of chronic hives isn't clear. The welts often start as itchy patches that turn into swollen welts that vary in size. These welts appear and fade at random as the reaction runs its course. Symptoms Symptoms of chronic hives include: • Batches of welts (wheals) that can arise anywhere on the body • Welts that might be red, purple or skin-colored, depending on your skin color • Welts that vary in size, change shape, and appear and fade repeatedly • Itchiness (pruritus), which can be intense • Painful swelling (angioedema) around the eyes, cheeks or lips • Flares triggered by heat, exercise or stress • Symptoms that persist for more than six weeks and recur often and anytime, sometimes for months or years When to see a doctor See your health care provider if you have severe hives or hives that last for more than a few days. Seek emergency medical care Chronic hives do not put you at sudden risk of a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). If you get hives as part of a severe allergic reaction, seek emergency care. Symptoms of anaphylaxis include dizziness, trouble breathing, and swelling of the tongue, lips, mouth or throat. Causes The welts that com...

Urticaria involves intensely pruritic, raised wheals, with or without edema of the deeper cutis. It is usually a self-limited, benign reaction, but can be chronic. Rarely, it may represent serious systemic disease or a life-threatening allergic reaction. Urticaria has a lifetime prevalence of approximately 20 percent in the general population. It is caused by immunoglobulin E– and nonimmunoglobulin E–mediated mast cell and basophil release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators. Diagnosis is made clinically. Chronic urticaria is usually idiopathic and requires only a simple laboratory workup unless elements of the history or physical examination suggest specific underlying conditions. Treatment includes avoidance of triggers, although these can be identified in only 10 to 20 percent of patients with chronic urticaria. First-line pharmacotherapy for acute and chronic urticaria is nonsedating second-generation antihistamines (histamine H 1 blockers), which can be titrated to larger than standard doses. First-generation antihistamines, histamine H 2 blockers, leukotriene receptor antagonists, and brief corticosteroid bursts may be used as adjunctive treatment. More than one-half of patients with chronic urticaria will have resolution or improvement of symptoms within one year. Urticaria is a common condition identified and treated in the primary care setting. It is characterized by well-circumscribed, intensely pruritic, raised wheals (edema of the superficial skin) ty...

Overview If you’ve had red or skin-colored bumps that appeared and disappeared quickly, then it’s unlikely to be simple bug bites. The skin rash could be hives, and the itching from hives may range from mild to severe. Hives, also known as urticaria, affects about 20 percent of people at some time during their lives. Scratching, alcoholic beverages, exercise and emotional stress may worsen the itching. Hives Symptoms • Raised itchy bumps, either red or skin-colored • “Blanching” (when pressed, the center of a red hive turns white) Hives Triggers • Some food (especially peanuts, eggs, nuts and shellfish) • Medications, such as antibiotics (especially penicillin and sulfa), aspirin and ibuprofen • Insect stings or bites • Physical stimuli, such as pressure, cold, heat, exercise or sun exposure • Latex • Blood transfusions • Bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections and strep throat • Viral infections, including the common cold, infectious mononucleosis and hepatitis • Pet dander • Pollen • Some plants Hives Management and Treatment • Avoid known triggers • Symptoms Symptoms can last anywhere from minutes to months – or even years. While they resemble bug bites, hives (also known as urticaria) are different in several ways: • Hives can appear on any area of the body; they may change shape, move around, disappear and reappear over short periods of time. • The bumps – red or skin-colored “wheals” with clear edges – usually appear suddenly and go away just as quic...