If these symptoms occur, get immediate medical attention. Keep the medicine in a convenient place if you work outside or play a sport. Cold urticaria is an uncommon form caused by exposure to cold. Infection 4. Subscribe to Drugs.com newsletters for the latest medication news, alerts, new drug approvals and more. Aquagenic urticaria is a rare form of hives caused by contact with water. It is caused when the immune system responds abnormally to an otherwise harmless substance and floods the body with an inflammatory chemical known as histamine. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. While not life-threatening, this form of hives can be uncomfortable and difficult to treat. Most rashes go away on their own. For cases that are even more resistant to treatment, H2 receptor blockers might be added. An allergen is something that produces an allergic reaction. Hives are actually a kind of rash, although not every rash looks like hives. Last updated on Apr 7, 2020. The most common causes are certain foods, medications, or infections. Hives are a red, raised, itchy skin rash that is sometimes triggered by an allergen. Chronic urticaria and angioedema: Hives lasting more than six weeks. Bernstein JA, et al., eds. It's often impossible to find out exactly why hives have formed. Advocating for your health helps you get the care you need and make important decisions regarding your well-being. Chronic hives are ongoing cases that don’t necessarily have an identifiable cause. Histamines are chemicals your body produces in an attempt to defend itself against infection and other outside intruders. Mild cases of hives are considered harmless. Urticaria can strike anyone irrespective of age, gender, and race. Doctors often can't identify the reason for chronic hives or why acute hives sometimes turn into a long-term problem. The causes of hives in women include the same factors that trigger hives in the general population, namely food, insect bites, toxins, infections, physical stimuli and others. What Is Dermatographism or "Skin Writing?". See your doctor if you have severe hives or hives that continue to appear for several days. Hives may turn white when pressed. Urticaria and angioedema. Hives happen when the cells in the skin called mast cells release histamine, a chemical that causes tiny blood vessels (capillaries) to leak fluid. In terms of allergens, hives can be caused by factors such a… Rarely, angioedema of the throat, tongue, or lungs can block the airways, causing difficulty breathing. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. From sunlight to bug bites, what are the top causes of hives in summer? https://www.aaaai.org/, American Academy of Dermatology Exercise 9. Batches of red or skin-colored welts (wheals), which can appear anywhere on the body, Welts that vary in size, change shape, and appear and fade repeatedly as the reaction runs its course, Painful swelling (angioedema) of the lips, eyelids and inside the throat, A tendency for signs and symptoms to flare with triggers such as heat, exercise and stress, A tendency for signs and symptoms to persist for more than six weeks and to recur frequently and unpredictably, sometimes for months or years, Pressure on the skin, as from a tight waistband. The most common causes are certain foods, medications, or infections. Both of these factors are causes of hives in women: increased sensitivity to either estrogen or progesterone could result in hives as could the increased production of cortisol and adrenalin, two stress-associated hormones. His research has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.