Hives Symptoms, Diagnosing And Treatment
The skin condition known as hives is referred to in medical terms as urticaria. Most people do not develop just one hive when they have urticaria.
Hives occur in response to a chain of events that lead to the release of a chemical called histamine into the skin. Histamine is located in certain white blood cells called mast cells, which are most abundant in the skin around capillaries.
If properly triggered, these mast cells release granules of chemicals, the most powerful of which is histamine. This causes the cells making up the blood vessels to contract allowing fluid to leak out of the blood vessel. Red blood cells are too large to leak out of these holes. Injecting histamine into the skin causes a triple response of redness, leaking of fluid producing a hive, and the flare or redness around the hive.
Hives are circular, red, spongy lesion that evolves and changes over minutes to hours. It is usually surrounded by an area of redness called a flare. They can vary in size from a few millimeters to giant hives covering a whole extremity.
When hives occur, it’s a sign that the whole body is experiencing a hypersensitivity reaction to something and can also be caused by a number of factors. There are many distinct physical causes of hives, such as Cold urticaria, Dermatographia, Pressure urticaria, Cholinergic urticaria, Aquagenic urticaria, and Solar urticaria. Cold urticaria is the most common of them all. It’s caused by exposure to cold water or cold air.
Hives can occur on any skin surface, but most often not the palms and soles of the feet. They’re classified as two types, acute and chronic. The type you have is determined on the length of the episode. Acute hives last for less than 6 weeks, and chronic hives last for longer than that. They are itchy because the swelling occurs in the epidermis, which has many nerve endings. The intensity of the itching varies from person to person and episode to episode.
Acute hives occur as an allergic reaction to food or medicine. They usually resolve on their own and are treated with antihistamines, which work by blocking the release of histamine from cells. It is important to take the antihistamines regularly because once the histamine is released, they have no affect. Over-the-counter antihistamines work too but they have the side effect of sedation.
Hives are diagnosed as chronic if they occur at least twice a week and have been present for more than 6 weeks. This type of hives doesn’t resolve quickly. People with chronic hives can sometimes have symptoms for longer than 1 year, and some even longer than 5 years.
Photos for different types of hives:
Diagnosing chronic hives is more involved than diagnosing acute hives. A detailed history is taken to determine the exact appearance and duration of the hives. A food diary should be kept, and all medications documented. The time course of the hives should also be covered.
The common symptoms of hives include a very itch rash, pink lesions with pale centers, Variable shapes, and Rapid and repeated change in location, size.
The treatment of hives is specific to the type that is diagnosed. In the majority of cases of chronic hives, the contributing factor can not be determined. For these people, antihistamines are the best form of treatment.
As with acute hives, antihistamines must be taken regularly to prevent the release of histamine. The older antihistamines, such as Benadryl, can cause sleepiness when starting therapy. After about 2 weeks, the sleepiness generally improves or resolves. However, the therapeutic effect of antihistamines does not diminish with regular use. In other words, a person does not develop a tolerance for antihistamines requiring higher doses to stop histamine release. The newer antihistamines, such as Zyrtec, laritin, and Allegra, do not cause as much sleepiness and are also effective in treating hives.
Avoid anything you think may have caused the hives. If you have recently started a new medication, discontinue it if possible, until you have consulted with your doctor.
For hives triggered by pollen or animal contact, take a cool shower or bath. Hot showers, vigorous toweling, exercise, tight clothing or any other factors that stimulate or inflame your skin may make symptoms worse. For localized hives, wash the allergic substance off the skin with soap and water. Localized hives usually disappear in a few hours so treatment is not needed.
In conclusion, if you experience any symptoms of hives, make sure you have it checked out and properly diagnosed so that you can treat it and can have it treated if necessary.
By: Ronda Hefnaoui
For great reading on the subject of hives check these resources below:
Chronic hives treatment with hypnosis
The new Chronic Hives treatment uses tried and tested hypnotic suggestions to help re-train the mind and body to stop producing the hives response.
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More than two-thirds of the cases of urticaria are acute. The rashes of acute urticaria are characterised by a rapid onset and rapid resolution within several hours…
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Hives (urticaria) , acute or chronic, physical urticaria (solar urticaria); Angioedema; Extensive red discoloration of face, neck and upper chest appears within 30 minutes after scombroid fish poisoning.
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