If a specific food is the suspected trigger, your allergist may do a skin-prick test or a blood test to confirm the diagnosis once the trigger is identified, you’ll likely be advised to avoid that food and products made from it.
#U HE HIVE SKINS SKIN#
Your allergist may want to conduct skin tests, blood tests and urine tests to identify the cause of your hives. If you have been keeping a food diary, show it to your allergist. This will help you discover whether there is a link between what you’re eating and when you break out with hives.Ĭhronic hives should be evaluated by an allergist, who will ask about your and your family’s medical history, substances to which you are exposed at home and at work, exposure to pets or other animals and any medications you’ve taken recently.
If a food allergy is suspected, consider keeping track of what you eat. If the hives have gone on for a long time, the cause is not usually identified.Ī single episode of hives does not usually call for extensive testing.
Other cases require detective work by both the patient and the physician because there are many possible causes. In some cases, the trigger is obvious – a person eats peanuts or shrimp, and then breaks out within a short time. The best way to identify your symptoms is to talk to an allergist who can diagnose and treat both hives and angioedema.
Difficulty breathing, stomach cramps or swelling of the lining of the eyes. The following symptoms may indicate angioedema: It can be caused by allergic reactions, medications or a hereditary deficiency of some enzymes. Is It Hives or Angioedema?Īngioedema – swelling of tissue beneath the surface of the skin – can be mistaken for, or associated with hives. Therapies range from cool compresses to relieve itching to prescription antihistamines and other drugs, such as anti-inflammatory medications and medications that may modify your immune system. A skin test and challenge test may also be needed to identify triggers. If your hives last more than a month or if they recur over time, see an allergist, who will take a history and perform a thorough physical exam to try and determine the cause of your symptoms. They typically do not have an identifiable trigger. Whether your allergist suggests a treatment available only by prescription or an over the counter treatment will depend on several factors, including how uncomfortable the hives are making you.Ĭhronic hives occur almost daily for more than six weeks and are typically itchy. See an allergist, who is specially trained to look for triggers to your hives and may recommend medications to prevent the hives or reduce the severity of symptoms. Viral infections, including the common cold, infectious mononucleosis and hepatitis. Bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections and strep throat. Physical stimuli, such as pressure, cold, heat, exercise or sun exposure. Medications, such as antibiotics (especially penicillin and sulfa), aspirin and ibuprofen. Some food (especially peanuts, eggs, nuts and shellfish). “Blanching” (when pressed, the center of a red hive turns white). Raised itchy bumps, either red or skin-colored. Scratching, alcoholic beverages, exercise and emotional stress may worsen the itching. Hives, also known as urticaria, affects about 20 percent of people at some time during their lives. The skin rash could be hives, and the itching from hives may range from mild to severe. If you’ve had red or skin-colored bumps that appeared and disappeared quickly, then it’s unlikely to be simple bug bites.