What is Hives

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Hives

About This Condition

Hives (urticaria) is an allergic reaction in the skin characterized by white or pink welts or large bumps surrounded by redness.

These welts are known as wheal and flare lesions and are caused primarily by the release of histamine (an allergy mediator) in the skin. About 50% of people with chronic hives develop angioedema�a deeper, more serious form of hives involving the tissue below the surface of the skin.

While the basic cause of hives involves the release of histamine from white blood cells, what actually triggers this release can be a variety of factors, such as physical contact or pressure, heat (prickly heat rash), cold, water, autoimmune reactions, infectious organisms (e.g., hepatitis B virus, Candida albicans, and streptococcal bacteria), and allergies or sensitivities to drugs (especially antibiotics and aspirin), foods, and food additives.

Symptoms

Symptoms include an itchy skin rash with red bumps that can appear on the face, trunk of the body, and, sometimes, on the scalp, hands, or feet. Individual lesions usually last less than 24 hours and can change shape, fade, and then rapidly reappear. People with hives may also have wheezing, or swelling of the eyelids, lips, tongue, or throat.

Holistic Options

Psychological stress is often reported as a triggering factor in people with chronic hives. Stress may play an important role by decreasing the effectiveness of immune system mechanisms that would otherwise block allergic reactions. In a small preliminary trial of people with chronic hives, relaxation therapy and hypnosis were shown to provide significant benefit. People were given an audio tape and asked to use the relaxation techniques described on the tape at home. At a follow-up examination 5 to 14 months after the initial session, six people were free of hives and an additional seven reported improvement.

References

1. Green G, Koelsche G, Kierland R. Etiology and pathogenesis of chronic urticaria. Ann Allergy 1065;23:30�6. [review].

2. Shertzer CL, Lookingbill DP. Effects of relaxation therapy and hypnotizability in chronic urticaria. Arch Dermatol 1987;123:913�6.

3. Henz BM, Zuberbier T. Most chronic urticaria is food-dependent, not idiopathic. Exp Dermatol 1998;7:139�42. [review].

4. Winkelmann RK. Food sensitivity and urticaria or vasculitis. In: Brostoff J, Challacombe SJ (eds.) Food Allergy and Intolerance. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1987, 602�17. [review].

5. Wraith DG, Merrett J, Roth A, et al. Recognition of food allergic patients and their allergens by the RAST technique and clinical investigation. Clin Allergy 1975;9:25�36.

6. Lewis-Jones MS, Barnes RMR, Macfarlane AW, et al. Frequency and isotype distribution of serum antibodies reactive with dietary proteins in adults with chronic urticaria. Clin Exp Dermatol 1987;12:419�23.

7. Lessof MH. Reactions to food additives. Clin Exp Allergy 1995;25 Suppl 1:27�8. [review].

8. Juhlin L. Additives and chronic urticaria. Ann Allergy 1987;59:119�23. [review].

9. Kulczycki A Jr. Aspartame-induced urticaria. Ann Int Med 1986;104:207�8.

10. Zuberbier T, Chantraine-Hess S, Hartmann K, et al. Pseudoallergen-free diet in the treatment of chronic urticaria. ACTA Dermatologica Venerol (Stockh) 1995;75:484�7.

11. Henz BM, Zuberbier T. Most chronic urticaria is food-dependent, not idiopathic. Exp Dermatol 1998;7:139�42. [review].

12. Verschave A, Stevens E, Degreef H. Pseudo-allergen free diet in chronic urticaria. Dermatologica 1983;167:256�9.

13. Gibson A, Clancy R. Management of chronic idiopathic urticaria by the identification and exclusion of dietary factors. Clin Allergy 1980;10:699�704.

14. Rawls WB, Ancona VC. Chronic urticaria associated with hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria. Rev Gastroenterol 1951;18:267�71.

15. Allison JR. The relation of hydrochloric acid and vitamin B complex deficiency in certain skin diseases. South Med J 1945;38:235�41.

16. Matsuo N, Yamada K, Shoji K, et al. Effect of tea polyphenols on histamine release from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells: the structure-inhibitory activity relationship. Allergy 1997;52:58�64.

17. Simon SW. Vitamin B12 therapy in allergy and chronic dermatoses. J Allergy 1951;22:183�5.

18. Simon SW, Edmonds P. Cyanocobalamin (B12): comparison of aqueous and repository preparations in urticaria; possible mode of action. J Am Geriatr Soc 1964;12:79�85.

19. Meyer de Schmid JJ, Zeller J. Urticaria due to vitamin B 12 allergy verified by the lymphoblastic transformation test. Bull Soc Fr Dermatol Syphiligr 1969;76:670�1 [in French].

20. Rawls WB, Ancona VC. Chronic urticaria associated with hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria. Rev Gastroenterol 1951;18:267�71.

21. Allison JR. The relation of hydrochloric acid and vitamin B complex deficiency in certain skin diseases. South Med J 1945;38:235�41.

22. Johnston S, Martin LJ, Cai X. Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis. J Am Coll Nutr 1992;11:172�6.

23. Johnston S, Martin LJ, Cai X. Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis. J Am Coll Nutr 1992;11:172�6.

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Hives & Rashes

Hives

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About This Condition

Symptoms

Holistic Options