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Hives (also known as urticaria) is a very itchy and common skin condition. It is classified as either acute or chronic. Acute urticaria lasts less than six weeks and is usually triggered by an upper respiratory infection, medicine, or food allergy. Chronic urticaria lasts more than 6 weeks and usually has an unknown or autoimmune trigger. Some forms of urticaria are caused by physical triggers such as cold, water, pressure, etc.
Signs & Symptoms
People with urticaria develop lesions called wheals, which are non-scaly, red-orange, raised spots or large rings on the skin (sometimes known as "welts"). Wheals come and go, then reappear in new areas of the skin within a 24 hour period.
It is important for the dermatologist to distinguish urticaria from other conditions with wheals such as arthropod bites, urticarial vasculitis, autoimmune conditions, serum sickness-like reactions, mastocytosis, Sweet syndrome, and urticarial bullous pemphigoid.
Treatment
Removal of the inciting trigger is important for patients where one can be identified (e.g., medication, food, or physical factors). Oral antihistamines are given on a scheduled (rather than as-needed) basis as the first-line treatment for urticaria. Topical corticosteroid creams or ointments are also given for symptomatic relief. Some patients are treated with biologic medications if they do not respond to first-line treatments.
Reference: Antia et al. Urticaria: A comprehensive review… J Am Acad Dermatol, 2018. PMID: 30241623
Who We Are
Katherine Hunt, MD, FAAD
Dr. Hunt grew up in Hoover, Alabama and attended Hoover High School. She started her career in business and engineering at the University of Alabama.
As an undergraduate, she gained national attention and was named "USA Today National Academic All-Star" for creating a self-sustaining peer mentoring program which measurably improved students' computer science performance at Alabama.
Her extensive work experience at Huron Consulting Group and GE Healthcare helped her realize that she would be most fulfilled in the field of medicine, helping patients one-on-one.
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