Hives, also known as urticaria, are red, puffy, itchy patches of skin that can appear on any area of the body. Hives may appear initially on the face, neck, chest or back and spread to other areas as they get worse. Some hives outbreaks can be as small as freckles, while others can be as large as dinner plates.
How Common Are Hives?
Hives is extremely common, affecting up to 20% of people at some point in their lives.
How Do Hives Impact a Person's Life?
In addition to causing puffy, red, unsightly plaques on the skin, hives are extremely itchy and can often cause burning, stinging or throbbing in the affected area.
While most outbreaks of hives go away within 24 hours after appearing, many people experience outbreaks that last days or weeks. Some people experience hives outbreaks on a regular basis and struggle to get relief from symptoms. Hives that last longer than six weeks can cause extreme discomfort, affecting the individuals's sleep patterns, ability to exercise and ability to complete daily activities.
What Causes Hives?
Hives are most commonly triggered by an allergic reaction to food, medication, sunlight, or insect bites.
They can also arise in response to stress, exercise, infection or illness.
Foods that can cause hives include:
- Chocolate
- Shellfish (Shrimp and crab)
- Fish (Catfish, salmon, and tuna)
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Citrus Fruits (Oranges, grapefruit, lemons)
Hives that are caused by elevated body temperature and sweating are known as cholinergic urticaria.
Cholinergic urticaria typically occurs during periods of exercise or when spending time outside in hot temperatures. The raised wheals associated with hives typically appear on the skin within a few minutes of sweating. They commonly get worse as you continue to sweat, and can last for up to four to six hours after you've stopped sweating.
Hives that appear during exposure to sunlight are known as solar urticaria. They occur in response to a rare allergy to sunlight which causes the immune system to produce antibodies. Solar urticaria may not develop on areas of the skin that are commonly exposed to sunlight, like the face or hands. Instead, they commonly appear on areas of skin covered with clothing.
Hives can also occur in response to periods of stress. When we experience stress, our sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. This causes the body to release histamine, a chemical involved with the body's inflammatory response and acts as a mediator in the body's sensation of itchiness.
