What are hives or urticaria?
Hives (urticaria known as a doctor) are red, itching in the skin, in various shapes and sizes. They vary in size from a few millimeters to several centimeters in diameter. Hives can be round, the shape of rings or May, or large spots. Wheal (urticaria), red lesions with a “house” at the border, is another expression of the hives. Hives can be anywhere on the body as the torso, arms and legs.
It is estimated that 15% of all people will develop urticaria at some point in their lives. Of those with chronic hives, some 80% are idiopathic, the medical term which means that no cause, allergic or otherwise, can be found.
One hallmark of hives is their tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours. Individual hives usually last two to 24 hours. An outbreak that looks impressive, even alarming, first thing in the morning can be completely gone by noon, only to be back in full force later in the day. Very few, if any other skin diseases occur and then resolve so rapidly. Therefore, even if you have no evidence of hives to show the doctor when you get to the office for examination, he or she can often establish the diagnosis based upon the history of your symptoms. Sometimes it is helpful to bring along a photograph of what your rash looked like at its worst.
Swelling deeper in the skin that may accompany hives is called angioedema. This may be seen on the hands and feet as well as on mucous membranes (with swelling of the lips or eyes that can be as dramatic as it is brief.)
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