Hives / Utricaria

In most instances the cause of hives is never discovered and this is called Idiopathic Urticaria in medical terms. However the two causes of hives include: –

a. Immunological cause - Hives caused by changes in the immune system. It is essentially an acute antigen-antibody reaction that causes release of histamine from mast cells that are present in the circulating blood cells of the body.

b. Non-immunological – Here too it is the histamine that is released without the antigen-antibody reaction and can be caused by exposure of certain chemicals.

The most common triggering factors that cause hives include:-

• Medication such as antibiotics e.g. - penicillin or sulfa, codeine, anticonvulsant drugs, Phenobarbital, aspirin and many more

• Foods (nuts, berries, shellfish, prawns, tomatoes, jelly fish eggs, soy, eggs, milk, fish, chocolate)

        • Food additives

• Pollen

• Animal dander

        • Plants

• Insect bites (bee / wasp stings)

        • Parasitic worms/infections

        • Jewellery

        • Irritation from tight clothes

        • Excessive sweating

        • Extreme temperature

        • Sunlight

        • Exercise

        • Viral/bacterial/fungal infections (Hepatitis-B common example)

        • Emotional stress

        • Autoimmune Diseases such as lupus

        • Illnesses such as leukemia

 Sometimes the cause of hives cannot be determined.