What Causes Hives?
Overview of Hives (Urticaria)
Hives also known as urticaria is generally described as a skin condition characterized by itchy wheals (raised white bumps surrounded by a reddish area). They are so maddeningly itchy that you will do just about anything to prevent another attack.
If you’ve had hives for more than 6 weeks, you have chronic hives as opposed to the acute hives.
In about fifty percent of people with hives a deeper more serious form develops which affects the tissue below the surface of the skin which is called angioedema.
Hives and angioedema are estimated to affect 15% to 20% of all people at some time during their lives. The condition may affect persons in any age group but people in their thirties are most often affected.
While it is important to get natural and side-effect-free symptomatic relief for your hives condition it is more important that you find out what is the cause of the hives so that you can eliminate the problem.
Common Causes of Hives
Discovering the cause of hives can sometimes be very difficult, and in many cases it is best to work with an allergist who can help you discover the root cause of the hives.
It is more than likely that chronic hives have a combination of triggers which could be food, drugs, chemicals, medications, molds, animal dander, the sun, cold, or many other possible factors.
The most common causes of hives are when the body produces histamine in reaction to allergies, especially allergies to certain foods, such as strawberries, shellfish, peanuts, milk, and eggs, and sometimes to drugs such as penicillin or to chemicals such as laundry soap. Therefore it would be good to start by eliminating all those substances immediately.
Specific Causes of Hives
It is fundamental to the treatment of hives to recognise and control the causative factors as noted below:
- Hives in Adults: Allergic reactions to drugs are the leading cause of hives in adults.
- Hives in Children: In children, hives are usually caused by allergic reactions to foods, food additives, or infections.
- Hives and Drugs: Antibiotics such as penicillin and related compounds as well as aspirin are the most common cause of drug-induced hives.
- Hives and Food: Although any food can be the causative agent, the most common offenders are: milk, fish, meat, eggs, beans, and nuts.
- Hives and Food Additives: It has also been shown that several food additives (e.g., tartrazine, benzoate) increases allergic reactions and causes hives. The elimination of food additives have proven to lead to wonderful improvement in chronic hives in children.
- Hives and Candidiasis: It has also been shown that chronic Candidiasis (also known as candida albicans or yeast overgrowth) can be an underlying factor in cases of chronic hives.
- Hives and Thyroid: It is important to rule out low thyroid function or the presence of antibodies against the thyroid gland in cases of chronic hives.
In the mean time while you are trying to find the cause it is good to know that there are plenty that you can do on your own to relieve the symptoms. See the section on treating hives in the menu on the right hand side.
