Hives
Overview
Hives rashes usually get better within a few days. You can often treat hives yourself.
Symptoms
The main symptom of hives is an itchy rash. The rash can: be raised bumps or patches in many shapes and sizesappear anywhere on the bodybe on 1 area or spread across the bodyfeel itchy, sting or burnlook pink or red when affecting someone with white skin; the colour of the rash can be harder to see on brown and black skin
Causes
Histamine release. Triggers: food; pollen; dust; stress; infections; insect bites; meds; heat/cold/pressure.
Treatment
A GP might prescribe menthol cream, antihistamines orsteroid tablets. If hives does not go away with treatment, you may be referred to a skin specialist (dermatologist).
Prevention
You get hives when something causes high levels of histamine and other chemicals to be released in your skin. This is known as a trigger. Triggers can include: eating certain foodscontact with certain plants, animals, chemicals and latexcold, such as cold water or windhot, sweaty skin from exercise, emotional stress or eating spicy fooda reaction to a medicine, insect bite or stingscratching or pressing on your skin, such as wearing itchy or tight clothingan infectiona problem with your immune systemwater or sunlight, but this is rare Try to find out what triggers hives for you, so you can avoid those triggers, if possible. This may help prevent an episode of hives.
When to see a doctor
See GP if: severe; spreading; keeps coming back. Call 999: swelling of throat/mouth; difficulty breathing (anaphylaxis).