My son has been out of school for several days with the most shocking case of hives (also known as urticaria) I've seen on him yet. He only gets them occasionally -- maybe twice a year. But this week, the only places he doesn't have them is inside his mouth. He is literally covered in them.
Even the soles of his feet, his palms and the back of his ears are covered in large red welts that are painful and unbearable itchy. He has scratched them in his sleep causing bleeding, which we warn against in order to avoid infection. But when you are madly scratching in your sleep, it's not something you can stop.
I took him to the pediatrician yesterday, simply because I had never seen someone covered from their scalp to the soles of their feet like this. On many parts of his body, there is no visible white skin at all and his face looks entirely burned. But his doctor assured me that these were, indeed, merely hives. It's just a rather awful case of them.
We have a referral for an allergist and he will hopefully go back to school tomorrow.
So what are hives? Why do we get them? And why do some people get them and others never will? Hives are usually an allergic reaction to something, whether it's food, the outdoors, medications or something else.
In terms of food, EmpowHER's Hive section suggests that the main culprits are often:
- Eggs
- Shellfish
- Nuts
- Chocolate
- Fish
- Tomatoes
- Fresh berries
- Milk
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/hives
However, there are other factors like the sun, latex, medications, stress and infections that can cause an outbreak. Because hives are often reaction to something (an allergy), the body releases a nitrogen connected to the immune system called histamine and this in turn causes a physical reaction.
In the case of hives, the raised red and very itchy welts quickly emerge all over the body -- sometimes literally from head to foot.
What's strange about hives is that they can completely disappear from the face, for example, within 10 or 20 minutes and reappear all over the groin area. But not all hives are caused by allergies.
The American Academy of Dermatology states that a reaction of hives can happen within minutes of exposure to something, or can be delayed for up to two hours. They advise that an allergist can do the following to try to discover the cause of hives:
- Allergy tests are performed on the skin, or blood tests
- Blood work can rule out infection or illness
- Skin biopsy may be done by removing a small bit of skin and viewed under a microscope
http://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/e---h/hive...
Empowher has written several articles on the causes and treatments of hives.
Linda Fugate, Ph.D, reported in her article New Treatments for Urticaria (Hives) that if common treatments like antihistamines don't work, a study by Dr. Christine Boubouka and coworkers at the University of Athens, Greece has shown that cyclosporin A may be a better option.
Cyclosporin A is an immunosuppressant that worked better on people who could not find the cause for their serious hives.
Fugate reported that "25 women and five men with urticaria were treated with cyclorsporin A. The starting dose was 1.5 to 2.5 mg/kg, and the dosage was decreased each month as symptoms improved. The improvement rates were 31 percent after one month, 46 percent after two months, 71 percent after three months, 87 percent after four months, and 88 percent after five months. The authors recommended a larger study with a randomized, controlled protocol."
Since about 20 percent of chronic cases can last up to five years, something like this needs further investigation.
My son is going to an allergist to find out (we hope) the cause of his awful hives. Since many hives sufferers will never know the cause, we can only hope to be the lucky ones who find out what's going on via the testing methods mentioned in this article.
If you or someone you know also suffers from hives, encourage detailed allergy testing where possible. For those with chronic hives, it can really change their lives.
Sources:
EmpowHER.com. Conditions. hair, Skin & nails. Skin Rash. Hives. Web. Retrieved November 17th, 2013.
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/hives
American Academy of Dermatology. Hives: Diagnosis, treatment, and outcome. Web. Retrieved November 17th, 2013.
http://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/e---h/hive...
EmpowHER.com. Skin, Hair and Nails. New Treatments for Urticaria (Hives). Web. Retrieved November 17th, 2013.
https://www.empowher.com/skin-hair-amp-nails/content/new-treatments-urti...
The Washington Manual™: Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Chapter 9. Urticaria and Angioedema by James A. Tarbox. Inkling.com. Retrieved Nov 21, 2013.
https://www.inkling.com/read/washington-manual-allergy-asthma-immunology...
Reviewed November 21, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN