What Are the Symptoms of Hives?
Hives (also known as Urticaria) appear as raised splotches on the skin. They are often red and itchy. Hives may also burn or sting. Hives indicate that the body is having an allergic reaction of some sort. Hives are known to appear anywhere on the body, even on the tongue, inner ears, lips, and throat. Hives vary in size and can be as small as a pencil eraser and as large as a dinner plate.
Hives typically last anywhere from a couple of hours to a day, but medical attention should be sought out if they do not go away. In rare but serious cases, hives can block the air passage in a person’s esophagus or lungs. When this happens, the allergic reaction can be fatal.
What Causes Hives?
Hives are often the result of the body being allergic, usually to food or medicine. As the body’s defense mechanism to ward off the substance that is being rejected, histamine and other chemicals are released into the blood stream. This release of histamine and chemicals result in the red, itchy, and swelling skin welts known as hives. Hives result specifically when the histamine is released from small blood vessels into the skin.
Other causes of hives include animal fur (especially cat fur), insect bites, and pollen. Hives also frequently occur when one is allergic to shellfish, fish, nuts, eggs, and milk. In addition, hives often occur due to emotional distress, severe cold or sun exposure, excessive perspiration, disease (such as lupus, leukemia or any other disease affecting the immune system), and infections such as mononucleosis.
What Are the Risk Factors of Hives?
People most susceptible to hives are those that have allergies, such as hay fever. Infants and toddlers should be watched carefully to make sure hives do not occur from eating nuts, peanut butter, and other foods that frequently cause allergic reactions. Since young children and toddlers have lower immune systems, they should be watched carefully when given a medication they have not previously taken.
A dermatologist is able to offer advice on the allergic reaction and skin care that could diminish the effects of hives.
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