Brief overview
- Causes and risk factors: Excessive histamine release, cause not always known, various triggers possible, e.g. allergies and intolerances, infections, physical or chemical stimuli, UV light.
- Therapy: Mostly anti-histamines, in more severe cases cortisone, if necessary leukotriene antagonists, immune suppressants, drugs against triggering infections, supportive measures such as cooling, ointments etc.
- Symptoms: wheals and itching of the skin and/or mucous membranes, tissue swelling in localized areas or over the entire body, in severe cases also respiratory distress.
- Course of the disease and prognosis: Depends on the form, often improvement with medication and avoidance of the triggers.
- Examinations and diagnosis: medical history, laboratory tests, allergy tests, diagnostic diet
What is hives?
Hives (urticaria) is what doctors call a skin rash (exanthema) with itchy wheals and sometimes skin/mucous membrane swelling. Various stimuli cause these skin reactions in urticaria.
The site of the skin manifestation varies from patient to patient. Hives often appear on the face, hands, neck, or in the crooks of the arms. However, there are also patients in whom hives develop on the feet.
