Hives Treatment

Hives, or urticaria are red, raised, and itchy welts that appear on the skin that are a variety of sizes.  Angioderma is a type of swelling that causes welts that occur deeper in your skin, particularly close to your lips and eyes.  In many cases, angiodema and hives are harmless.  They will likely not leave any lasting marks.  The treatment that is commonly given for hives is antihistamine medications.  Andioedema may be life-threatening if swelling is the cause of your airway being blocked, leading to a loss of consciousness.

There are a number of signs and symptoms of hives.  These symptoms can include a single welt or group of welts, raised, white, or red welts, burning or stinging in the area that has been affected, and severe itching of the skin.  Hives can be chronic or can be acute.  Acute hives typically last for less than a day or may last for up to six weeks.  Chronic hives last for over six weeks. 

Angiodema is a condition that is similar to hives, but it occurs deeper in the skin.  Some signs and symptoms of angiodema include firm, large, or thick welts, blisters in areas where there has been severe swelling, warmth or pain in areas affected, and in severe cases, trouble swallowing or breathing.  In many cases, this condition will be present near your lips or eyes, but it can also be present on your genitalia, hands, feet, or inside your throat.  An uncommon form is hereditary Angiodema, and this can cause severe and rapid swelling of your hands, legs, feet, arms, face, genitalia, feet, airway, and digestive tract that occurs suddenly.  Some of the signs and symptoms include a sudden and severe swelling, abdominal cramping due to digestive tract swelling, and trouble breathing because of swelling in the airway.  If you are feeling like your throat is swelling, if you are having trouble breathing, or if you feel lightheaded, you need to seek emergency care. 

Causes of Hives

Hives and angiodema are normally caused by an inflammation in the skin.  In some situations, the condition is triggered due to mast cells releasing histamine and other chemicals into your skin and your bloodstream.  Allergic reactions to these medications or these foods can result in acute hives or even angioedema.  There have been several causal factors determined.  One is food.  Food can cause problems for some people, especially nuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, chocolate, and milk for some people.  Sulfites and salicylates are also problems for some.  Another potential cause may be medications.  Some of the common medications that cause hives include aspirin, penicillin, ibuprofen, and blood pressure medications.  Other allergens can also cause problems, such as animal dander, insect stings, latex, and pollen.  Physical factors, such as heat, sunlight, cold, water, emotional stress, pressure on the skin, and exercise can also be factors. 

Some of the risk factors for hives include having had other allergic reactions, having hives or angioedema in the past, having a disorder associated with angioedema or hives, like thyroid disease, lymphoma, or lupus, and having a family history of hives. 

Treatment for Hives

If you have very mild symptoms, treatment for your hives may be unnecessary.  The typical treatment, however, is antihistamines.  These block the release of histamine.  Some of these are available over the counter, and they include Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, Alavert, Claritin, and Zyrtec.  Although Alavert and Claritin do not normally cause drowsiness, some of the others may.  There are also prescription medications, such as Clarinex, Vistaril, Allegra, and Xyzal.  In cases of severe angioedema or hives, the doctors may prescribe an oral corticosteroid drug like prednisone that can help to lessen the itching, redness, and swelling. 

With hereditary angioedema, these medicines may not be helpful to treat this condition.  The medications that are used to treat the long-term hereditary angioedema include androgens that will assist in regulating levels of blood protein.  There are also more tests going on to determine if there are new medications to treat the condition. 

If you are having a severe case of angioedema or hives, you may need to have an emergency injection of epinephrine and go to the emergency room for help.  If you continue to have more attacks even though you have had treatment, your doctor may prescribe adrenaline for you to use if you have another emergency situation.