03 Oct 2024

Hives Rash: A Comprehensive Understanding

Getting sudden rashes after having some food or an exposure to something you are sensitive to? These are probably the signs of a  hives rash.

Hives rash are red bumps occurring on your skin. Different areas of your skin start swelling, and this condition usually takes place due to some kind of allergic reaction. Allergic reactions occur when your immune system come into contact with some kind of irritant or allergen. Although allergens are harmless for most people, these foreign substances may induce allergic reactions in sensitive people.

Take a look at this blog to find out the symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment of your allergy hives.

What is hives rash?

Allergy rash hives are usually characterised by itchiness or a sensation of stinging or burning. These rashes may appear in varying sizes, from being as big as a plate to being as small as a fingertip. The medical term for hives is ‘urticaria’. When the bumps of hives join each other, they start to form larger affected areas called plaques. While certain hives fade away within 24 hours, some of them may remain noticeable for several days or even for longer durations. 

What are the different types of hives?  

While acute hives or urticaria last for shorter time period, less than six weeks, chronic urticaria causes hives outbreak at least twice a week. This continues for up to six weeks. Chronic urticaria does not have any obvious underlying cause.

On the other hand, there is another unique condition called physical urticaria or inducible urticaria. These hives usually occur when you are exposed to sun, heat or cold. Sweating, exercising, pressure or vibrations may evoke reactivity in some people. You are likely to develop physical hives within an hour of your exposure.     

Hives vs. Rash

A rash refers to a skin condition producing abnormal spots along with swelling, redness and itchiness. Hives, on the other hand, is an example of a rash. Remember that all hives are rashes, but not all rashes are hives. 

Who are likely to get hives?

Hives rash may break out in any individual. If your body reacts to different types of allergens, you are basically more prone to develop allergy rash hives. On the other hand, people who are not usually reactive to allergens or irritant substances may experience hives only once or just for a few times across their entire lifespan.     

Acute hives share a deep connection with conditions like allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis or Asthma, mostly in children. Cases of extreme stress may also produce hives rash in your body.

Nearly 20% of the worldwide population will get hives at least once in their lifetime. On the other hand, around 1 to 3% of the entire global population are prone to develop chronic hives.

Symptoms of Hives

• Acute hives

The appearance of hives rash varies across the individuals and the situation they are in. These may occur in any region of your body. Some common symptoms indicating acute hives are:

• • Hives blanch, a condition when the centre of the hive turns pale when pressed
  • Reddish elevated bumps appearing on your skin, more prominent on fair skin complexion
  • Angioedema, swollen skin leading to a feeling of puffiness
  • Persistent itchiness
  • Swelling of your eyes, lips and even inside your throat along with pain
    
    

• Chronic hives

Chronic hives often resembles the hives rash of acute urticaria. However, some common signs of chronic hives include:

• • A cycle of continuous appearing, disappearing and reappearing of hives rashes at an interval of every few days. In fact, such symptoms may last for prolonged time periods, even up to several months or years.
  • Changes of shapes and sizes of the rashes or bumps.
  • Worsen with stress, heat or exercise.

Hives Rash Causes

While looking at hives rash causes, you need to navigate through the distinct causes of both acute as well as chronic hives.

• Acute hives

Acute hives are allergic reactions evoking in your body due to certain triggering factors. For instance, any food item, drink, some specific medication or even physical contact with some allergens act as triggers for your hives. Immune cells called mast cells are present in your skin. When these cells start functioning, they release chemicals like histamine. Histamine is the main reason behind formation of hives.

Hives may also occur due to a several other reasons. From infection to some kind of physical pressure or stress on your skin, all these factors may be responsible for occurrence of hives. Healthcare providers find out the exact reason leading to your hives.

• Chronic hives

Although chronic hives initially resemble acute hives, their underlying causes are not the same. Not allergies, but chronic hives often occur due to viruses and bacteria or due to some medical condition. Although your healthcare provider may not find out an exact cause of your hives, they are often regarded as ‘spontaneous’ or ‘idiopathic’.  

Chronic hives usually last for a prolonged time period, although they are not permanent. These kinds of hives produce great discomfort, but are not life threatening.

Are allergy rash hives contagious?

Just like other skin conditions, hives are not contagious. However, you may get to develop hives when your skin comes in contact with some kind of secretions from poisonous plants like ivy. In such cases, there are maximum chances that you transmit this allergenic plant product to other individuals until you rinse it off your skin. 

Diagnosing Hives

The healthcare provider can easily diagnose the occurrence of hives or angiodema by looking at your skin and comparing them to skin rashes hives images. Allergy tests help you find out what is the trigger causing your allergic reaction. However, this condition is applicable only in case of acute hives. Identification of the cause allows you avoid allergens causing hives. Allergy tests performed for diagnosing hives include:

• Skin tests: While conducting skin tests, healthcare providers check the reactivity of your skin towards different kinds of allergens. If your skin shows redness or becomes swollen, it suggests that you are allergic to that particular substance. This test is commonly called a skin prick or scratch test. However, skin testing is not suitable for examining chronic hives.  
• Blood tests: Blood testing is done to detect the presence of specific antibodies in your blood. These antibodies are produced by your body to fight off allergens. If your body starts making excessive antibodies, this indicates that you are likely to develop hives.

Hives Rash Treatment Options

Hives usually heal on their own without any medical intervention in most cases. You may use some medications under the recommendation of your healthcare provider in order to alleviate your symptoms. Some care at home can also reduce your risks of developing hives. Some common treatment options include:

• Allergy medications: Since histamines are a major reason leading to hives, antihistamine drugs are a great option for obstructing the effects of histamine. You may use these drugs orally by swallowing a pill or topically by applying the medicine on your affected skin. Itchiness due to hives may get prompt relief with antihistamine drugs. These medications either reduce the severity of your hives, or make them go away permanently.
• Allergy shots: In case of complex chronic hives, your healthcare provider might suggest monthly injections of drugs to block the occurrence of allergic reactions in your body. On the other hand, people suffering from severe allergies are likely to produce excessive IgE. These injections are designed to restrict the making of IgE by your immune system.
• Home remedies: Take a cool shower to ease your symptoms, put on loose and comfortable clothes and apply cold compress to your affected areas. You can also use over the counter drugs with the instruction of a pharmacist as a primary care to your swelling and itching.
• Oral steroids: You may use corticosteroids for your hive symptoms that do not alleviate with other topical steroids or antihistamines.
• Emergency Injections: Worsening of acute allergies can eventually lead to anaphylaxis. This condition is characterised by swollen mouth, throat or face, vomiting, breathing shortness, low blood pressure and wheezing. As this situation may pose life risks, doctors recommend emergency injections to open your blocked and swollen airways.

Hives Rash: Complications

Severe hives may become life threatening due to swollen airways, particularly in your lungs and throat, which may lead to a condition of anaphylaxis. Due to the constriction and eventual blockage of the airways, this ultimately leads to death. 

Allergic reactions due to consumption of certain food items including nuts from trees, peanuts or stinging by bees often triggers anaphylaxis. As a result, you will require immediate medications or injections. Otherwise, there are high risks that you may collapse. These medications reduces your hives and underlying swelling by opening your airways and elevating the blood pressure.

Prevention of Hives

Different kinds of hives require different types of prevention.

• Acute hives

Your healthcare provider examines the results of your allergy tests to find out the root causes of your triggers leading to acute hives. After discovering the triggers, you may take preventive measures like:

• • Eliminate the food items triggering your allergies from your diet
  • Try to avoid exposure to airborne allergens
  • As dyes and scents often trigger allergic reactions, consider switching to soaps and detergents free of those irritants
  • Avoid drastic changes in temperature conditions
  • If your are stressed due to workload or some other reasons, take a break and relax
  • Try to wear lightweight clothes with loose fitting

• Chronic hives

You may manage chronic hives, on the other hand, with the some of the above preventive care plan to some extent. Although prevention of chronic hives may not be possible as exact causes could not be identified. Impact of some underlying medical condition on your immune system may also be a major reason of chronic hives.

Prognosis for People with Hives

Hives do not usually lead to major serious problems in most of the people. However, outbreak of allergic reactions in children often leads to hives rash. On the other hand, allergic reactions such as angioedema often lead to anaphylaxis, which can be life threatening. You can get an idea of hives prognosis with hives rash photos showing your external symptoms.   

When should I visit a healthcare professional?

Although acute hives can heal on its own, certain severe conditions require you seeing a healthcare professional immediately. 

• Swelling and hives rashes lasting for over a week
• Infected bumps filled with pus and with a red and swollen appearance
• Recurrent occurrence of hives at a gap of every few months
• Extreme itchiness that might not even let you sleep
• Signs of anaphylaxis leading to breathing shortness, vomiting or wheezing
• Swollen face and lips

What questions to ask your healthcare provider?

If you develop allergy rash hives, consider asking the following questions when you visit your healthcare provider:

• Why did you get hives?
• By when will your hives heal?
• Do I need to get an allergy test?
• What tips should I follow prevent any hives outbreak in the future?
• How can I get rid of my itching?
• What is the best treatment for my hives?
• Which signs of complications should I look for?

How long does hives last?

You may usually get over your acute hives rashes within a few days or within a few weeks. However, chronic hives last longer and do not go away easily. It may require months or even years of treatment.

Final Outlook

Hives rash is your body’s response to allergens it is sensitive to. While hives symptoms can cause discomfort, they are not always serious, and acute hives often disappear within a few days. However, it’s important to consult a healthcare professional to identify the root causes of your triggers before they become chronic. For prompt medical attention, consider a same day doctor visit at Medical Express Clinic to receive the latest treatments and care for your allergy hives rash.