Hives (Urticaria)!

Hives (urticaria), also known as welts, is a common skin condition with itchy, pink to red bumps that appear and disappear anywhere on the body. An individual lesion of hives typically lasts a few hours before fading away, and new hives can appear as older areas disappear.

Hives can be triggered by many things, including:

• Medications
• Infections with viruses, bacteria, or fungi
• Environmental allergies such as insect bites, pollen, mold, or animal dander
• Physical exposures such as heat, cold, water, sunlight, or pressure
• A medical condition such as gland diseases, blood diseases, or cancer
• Food allergies, such as strawberries, eggs, nuts, or shellfish
• Stress.

Signs and Symptoms-

• Hives can affect any skin surface.
• Hives are usually an itchy rash that can also burn or sting

Self-Care Guidelines-

If you are experiencing mild hives, you might

• Take cool showers
• Apply cool compresses
• Wear loose-fitting clothes
• Avoid strenuous activity
• Use an over-the-counter antihistamine such as diphenhydramine or loratadine

When to Seek Medical Care-

If your child's hives make it difficult to breathe or swallow or if your child feels lightheaded, call an ambulance.
In other, non-urgent, situations, see your doctor if the hives do not improve with treatment or if they continue to appear for more than a few days.

Treatments Your Physician May Prescribe-

After confirming that you have hives, the doctor will work with you to discover the possible cause. The doctor will take a detailed medical history and may do blood tests, urine tests, or X-rays.
Obviously, the best treatment for hives is to discover any triggers and stop your exposure to them. However, most people with hives do not know the cause, and they require medications to get rid of the hives.

The most common medications for hives include:

• Sleep-causing (sedating) type-1 antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine, or cetirizine
• Non-sleep-causing (non-sedating) type-1 antihistamines such as loratadine, fexofenadine, or desloratadine
• Type-2 antihistamines such as anitidine, cimetidine, or famotidine
• Doxepin
• Montelukast, zafirlukast, or zileuton

In rare situations, the doctor might prescribe a short course of oral corticosteroid pills.