Dr. Rasya Dixit | Appointment booking number: 099018 90588
Consultant Dermatologist & Cosmetologist | Dr. Dixit Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic, Bengaluru
Hives are very commonly seen and they are called as Allergy by lay people. So what is the cause if these hives? Hives look like flat swelling on the skin on the arms, on the face. It can come on any part of the body including the hands and feet. So it usually looks like tiny red skin elevations, but it can become large flat map like areas of elevation as well. In medical term it is called as Urticaria and it is so common that it is believed that more than 90% of the population will have hives atleast once in their lifetime. It can be seen as a reaction and mostly people describe it as mosquito bites or ant bites , which become more swollen but hives become bigger and bigger and it can become a very severe problem as it disturbs the activities because are busy scratching, but if it involves your eyes, your lips, you are compromised even the breathing. So it is a serious condition, however it can be seen very very commonly as a common condition. So what are the common causes of Hives? It can be an insect bite allergy, you can be having it because of insect bite or it can be because of some food or some drug that does not agree with you. Usually people are able to tell us that, if we had one particular food like milk or egg, then I used to get this kind of allergy. It may look like mild redness or itching when you scratch , but it comes every time you eat that particular medicine or that particular food. The other thing is sometimes with chronic infections, especially with Hepatitis infection also you se hives. So when you first see a doctor the doctor will ask you how long you have had this symptom. Is it something very new or few days old, then the concerns may be like insect bite or food allergy or medicine allergy but when it starts to last longer and longer then it could be the marker of some underlying problem like thyroid problem or hormone problem or viral infection and urinary infection. The common treatment of Hives is Antiallergy tablets called as Antihistamines. There are many types of Antihistamines. It doesn’t mean that if you don’t respond to one Antihistamines, it will not work for you. Antihistamines are very mild medicines they don’t have side effects. So you can take them for long period of time safely. Sometimes when the case is not diagnosed then they can be taken for months together, even years together, please don’t worry, so you have to rule out the underlying condition. So if you are having hives, which are not responding to treatment. Please speak to your dermatologist and get a more clarity on what is happening to you.
#urticaria
#chronichives
#angioedema