HIVES RASH

In medical terminology hives is usually spoken as urticaria as hive is a symptom of urticaria. Most people do not develop one hive when they have urticaria, hence the name hives.Hives are a kind of skin rash notable for dark red, raised, itchy bumps. Hives are most often caused by allergic reactions but there are many other causes too. For example, most cases of hives lasting less than six weeks (acute hives) are the result of an allergic trigger. Chronic hives are those hives which last longer than six weeks. Hives rashes have different sizes starting from millimeter to large area. In some patients swelling also occurs and is called hives swelling. Hives in children are usually caused by an allergic reaction to foods, insect biting or medications. Treat the child immediately.  Bathe the child with soap and water to remove any substances from the skin that may be the allergic reaction. Apply ice to the hives to reduce swelling and ease itching. Massage the area for 20 minutes with a cold pack.

 Causes of Hives/Chronic or Acute

             There are many factors involved which causes hives to appear and some are as underlined. Acute hives are produced due to food, medicines and infections. Sometimes insect bite or any other internal disease is also responsible for these hives. The most known foods that cause hives are nuts, chocolate, fish, tomatoes, eggs, fresh berries, wheat and milk.Chronic hives last more than six weeks. Their cause is more difficult to identify than acute hives. The cause is very much similar but may include chronic infections, hormonal disorder and malignancy. Hives swelling also incur and patient is frightened sometime.

  Physical urticaria/hives: Hives which are caused by direct physical contact of skin, like, cold, heat, sun exposure, vibration, sweating and exercise. They occur in those areas of the body which are directly exposed to that environment. Hives which are due to inheritance are known hereditary hives and they very painful. Hives which form after scratching of the skin are called dermatographism hives.

The body's natural reaction to stress hives may be responsible "fight or flight" response, responsible for stress induced hives or a stress rash. When a person experiences stress for a prolonged time his immune system may not be able to defend the body from illness and hives may appear indicating some imbalance. These can be rectified by hypnosis or removing stress through meditation.    

Hives Treatment and cure

 Some medications have been the traditional cure for hives, as they block the body's production of the hive-causing chemical, histamine. Some of these are available over-the-counter such as Benadryl or Diphenylhydramine, while some are prescriptions (Zyrtec or Allegra). One should be careful that some antihistamines cause drowsiness, and as with all medications, side effects may also occur.

Allergy Hives Itching

Hives which are as a result of allergies are called allergy hives but they may be due to other reasons. Allergy Hives itching is very common, but may also burn or sting. They can appear anywhere on the body, face, lips, tongue, throat, or ears. Hives vary in size from millimeter to dinner plate diameter and may join together to form larger areas known as plaques. They can last for hours to several days before fading.