Relieve Allergy Asthma And Hives

Chronic Urticaria Is Defined When Hives Occur Most Days For More Than Six Weeks

Symptoms of chronic urticaria usually resolve, although this can take months or several years. Most people with chronic urticaria manage with appropriate doses of non-drowsy antihistamines. People with severe symptoms interfering with quality of life may be referred to a clinical immunology/allergy specialist or dermatologist for assessment and consideration of additional medications.

Can Stress Cause Hives

Stress does not cause hives, but it can lead to or worsen symptoms. Its believed psychological factors such as stress play a role in about 50 percent of cases of hives. If stress is playing a role in your hives, you may benefit from working with a counselor or other mental health professional to help manage your stress.

How Is Allergic Asthma Diagnosed

A skin prick test is the common way to check for allergies. Your doctor will poke your skin with a needle containing a small amount of an allergen. After 15 minutes, they will check the area for redness or discoloration, swelling, and itching. You might also have a raised, round, red or discolored, hive-like bump known as a wheal. These are signs of an allergic reaction.

Additional lung function tests can determine whether you have asthma along with allergies. Lung function tests check whether your breathing improves after you use an asthma medication called a bronchodilator .

Specific types of lung function tests include:

Treating allergic asthma can involve treating the allergy, the asthma, or both.

Don’t Miss: What’s It Like To Have Asthma

When Should I Call My Healthcare Provider About Hives

Hives can get better without treatment. Call your healthcare provider if you have:

• Hives or swelling that lasts more than a week.
• Infected-looking bumps .
• Recurring hives .
• Severe itching that might even keep you from sleeping.
• Signs of anaphylaxis, including wheezing, shortness of breath or vomiting.
• Swollen lips or face.

How Are Seasonal Allergies Diagnosed

Talk with your doctor if you think your child might have seasonal allergies. The doctor will ask if the same symptoms happen at the same time each year after your child is around an allergen, and do an exam. The doctor may be able to make a diagnosis, or might refer you to an allergy doctor for allergy skin testing or a blood test.

To find which allergens cause a person’s symptoms, allergists usually do skin testing. During skin prick testing, an allergist or nurse puts a tiny bit of a liquid containing an allergen into the skin by making a small scratch or prick on the skin. They usually do skin testing on a person’s forearm or back. The allergist then waits 15 minutes or so to see if a red, raised bump, called a wheal, forms. If it does, there might be an allergy. The allergist uses a ruler to measure the wheal and the redness around it.

Even if a skin test or a blood test shows an allergy, a child must also have symptoms to be diagnosed with an allergy for sure. For example, a child who has a positive test for grass pollen and sneezes a lot while playing in the grass would be considered allergic to grass pollen.

You May Like: Medicine To Help With Asthma

Common Hives Triggers And How To Avoid Them

Skin rashes are a common problem. Theyre so common it can be tricky to tell one issue from another! However, if youve ever had itchy red, pink, or flesh-colored bumps that appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly, its a good sign you could have hives.

Approximately 20% of people develop hives at some point during their lifetime. This condition, also known as urticaria, often looks like a bug bite. However, several characteristics set them apart, such as:

• A center that turns white when pushed
• Welts anywhere on the body, including the tongue, throat, and eyelids
• Bumps that move, change shape, disappear, or reappear

Hives also have a clear edge, and its common for them to appear and disappear quickly. They can also last minutes, hours, days or become a chronic problem that persists for months or years.

Our Advanced Allergy & Asthma team in Ogden, Utah, can help get to the bottom of your rash and outline treatment strategies to help keep your skin healthy and clear. Do you have hives? These are the five most common culprits behind this skin problem.

What Treatments Exist For Rashes And Hives

Many cases of rashes and hives resolve on their own without treatment. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream and antihistamines can help control mild itching. However, without identifying the source of recurring rashes and hives, you may experience a series of outbreaks for years.

The best treatment for rashes and hives involves identifying your triggers and avoiding those substances and/or circumstances that cause an allergic reaction. Dr. Ispas provides expert assessment of rashes and hives to determine the source of your skin irritation and expedite relief of your symptoms.

Depending on your condition, Dr. Ispas performs a skin prick or patch test to identify the allergens that trigger your reaction. If appropriate, she may prescribe medication to alleviate symptoms. She may also recommend allergy shots, which can desensitize your immune system and reduce allergic reactions.

When contagious rashes occur, Dr. Ispas may use skin scrapings, biopsies, nasal cultures, or blood tests to identify the virus or bacteria causing the irritation. These tests help her determine the appropriate medication necessary to eradicate the organism and the resulting rash.

With an individualized treatment plan for your rash or hives, you can be comfortable in your own skin again. Schedule an appointment online or call our office for a professional evaluation of your rash or hives at Allergy Asthma & Immunology Institute.

Don’t Miss: Is Eucalyptus Good For Asthma

How To Get Rid Of Hives

One of the best ways to get rid of hives is to identify what causes the symptoms and then work to avoid those triggers. If a avoiding the trigger is not possible, the trigger is not known, or symptom relief is needed, the first line of treatment is an antihistamine. If you have hives, its also recommended you avoid aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories , alcohol and tight clothing, as these can worsen symptoms.

While antihistamines are the first line of treatment, the American Academy of Dermatology has outlined other treatment options for hives symptoms.

Who Is Affected By Hives

Anyone can get hives. If youre someone who reacts to many types of allergens, you may get hives frequently. Other people who dont react to allergens may get hives once or a few times in their lives.

There seems to be a relationship between acute hives and conditions like asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, especially in children. You might also be affected by hives during periods of extreme stress.

How common are hives?

Around 20% of the population will get hives at least one time. About 1% to 3% of the population has chronic hives.

Read Also: When To Go To Urgent Care For Asthma

Hives Occur In The Skin And Are Common

Up to 20% of people will develop hives at some time during their life. In most cases, hives are not due to allergy. Underneath the lining of the skin and other body organs are mast cells. Mast cells contain chemicals including histamine. When these are released into the skin they irritate nerve endings to cause local itch and irritation and make local blood vessels expand and leak fluid, triggering redness and swelling.

Melbourne Allergy Asthma & Immunology Consultants

Chronic urticaria is a complex condition that can be very troublesome for people. Our doctors specialise in identifying causes of urticaria, but often urticaria seems to be “spontaneous” : that is no cause can be identified. In such cases correct treatment can be very beneficial and newer injectable treatment options can make a huge difference to people’s quality of life.

Also Check: How To Help People With Asthma

Hives Are Rarely Due To A Serious Underlying Disease

Whilst a clear cause of hives in not obvious in many cases, causes may include:

• Infection from a virus is the most common cause of hives in children, especially if they last for more than 24 hours.
• Contact allergy to plants or animals may cause localized hives.
• Allergic reactions to food, medicines or insect stings can appear as hives. They usually occur within one to two hours of exposure and disappear in most cases within six to eight hours.

An allergic cause for hives should be suspected if episodes are rare, short-lived and occur under specific circumstances, for example:

• Only when exercising.
• Always within two hours of a meal.
• When symptoms involving other organs occur around the same time, such as stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing or dizziness.
• If hives occur with swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty breathing or low blood pressure, anaphylaxis should be suspected. Urgent administration of adrenaline and medical assessment is required. Information about anaphylaxis is available on the ASCIA website.

Ongoing hives lasting days at a time are almost never allergic in origin, with the exception of some cases of allergy to medicines. Stress is a very rarely the cause of hives but may make the symptoms worse.

In some people hives are caused by physical triggers, including cold , heat, sunlight , vibration, rubbing or scratching of the skin , and delayed pressure , stress, alcohol, spicy food or coffee may cause symptoms.

Give Us The Opportunity To Provide High

Are you worried about sharing your child’s health background details with us? No worries, we are HIPAA-compliant.Have concerns about seasonal allergies, allergy shots, allergy testing, allergy skin testing, asthma, or other immunological health conditions? Feel free to call us at 512-382-1933. You can also email your concerns or questions to us at And yes, we do accept most insurance plans!

Don’t Miss: Bronchial Asthma Relief Tablets Cvs

Types Of Physical Urticaria

• Dermographism triggered by skin friction such as rubbing, scratching, or pressure. This is the most common form of CIndU.
• Delayed-pressure urticaria triggered by sustained pressure to the skin. Symptoms appear 4-6 hours after contact.
• Exercise-induced urticaria triggered by exercise.
• Cold urticaria triggered by skin exposure to cold or cold water. Hives are usually limited to exposed skin.
• Heat urticaria triggered by exposure to heat.
• Solar urticaria triggered by sun exposure to UV rays.
• Vibratory urticaria triggered by exposure to vibration.

Can Hives Occur Anywhere Else

Hives can also cause deeper swellings in the skin and mucosa, this is called angioedema. These swellings are often bigger, last longer, may itch less, sometimes hurt or burn and respond less well to antihistamines. Large swellings over joints, for example, can cause pain that feels like arthritis, even if the joint is not involved. Angioedema most frequently affects the face and lips. Although hives and facial swelling can be uncomfortable and cosmetically embarrassing, they are not usually dangerous. Information on angioedema is available on the ASCIA website.

You May Like: Little Rock Allergy And Asthma North Little Rock

What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider

If you develop hives, you might want to ask your healthcare provider these questions:

• Why did I get hives?
• When should the hives go away?
• Should I get an allergy test?
• What steps can I take to prevent getting hives in the future?
• Whats the best treatment to reduce itching?
• Whats the best way to get rid of hives?
• Should I look out for signs of complications?

How To Manage Allergic Asthma

An essential step to managing allergic asthma is identifying and avoiding triggers when possible. You may need to remove the source of the allergen from your home or other environment.

You can also reduce allergic asthma symptoms by washing out your nasal passages regularly with saline solution using a Neti pot or squeeze bottle.

Allergic asthma can have serious complications. One complication is anaphylaxis. This type of severe allergic reaction may have symptoms such as:

• nasal congestion

Untreated anaphylaxis can be life threatening. It may cause health concerns such as an abnormal heart rate, weakness, low blood pressure, cardiac arrest, and pulmonary arrest.

If youre at risk of a serious allergic reaction, your doctor may prescribe an epinephrine self-injecting device . Carrying this medication with you at all times and using it within the first few minutes of the onset of allergy symptoms can prevent a life threatening allergic reaction.

Allergic asthma attacks arent always preventable. However, you may be able to make them less frequent by changing your environment.

The steps you take will depend on the allergen causing your symptoms. They may include:

• washing bedding frequently in hot 130°F water
• mopping instead of sweeping

Also Check: Can Certain Foods Cause Asthma Attacks

Welcome To The Jungle

• View Larger Image

As many of my dear patients know, in this time of social isolation, my family has taken on numerous hobbies in order to avoid boredom. To her credit, one of the best ideas my teenage daughter has had is gardening. If nothing else, she keeps the mess outside. For some reason, nearly every idea she has had causes allergies and gives me a reason to blogso thank you, Katie for your inspiration.

In any case, I thought I would take this opportunity to discuss limiting allergy symptoms while gardening, which is such an amazing hobby this time of year and in fall. Gardening has been so important to provide relaxation during this time and yet the symptoms may offset much of the benefits for many patients.

If you love to garden but are troubled by the side effect of allergy, here are some considerations:

1. Wear an allergy maskwhich comes in especially handy now as you can also wear while shopping and social distancing. The high-quality masks have a particle filter.

2. If touching plants gives you a contact allergy, wear gloves, glasses or sunglasses and consider wearing lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and slacks to prevent contact with the oils and chemicals that are the typical culprits. After youve gardened, avoid wearing the used gardening clothes again until theyve been washed. Be careful about taking a nap in those used gardening clothes or you may be living with that allergic reaction until you have a chance to change your bed linens.

Recent Posts

What Are The Symptoms Of Chronic Hives

In many respects, chronic hives and acute hives may look alike: they can be itchy, swollen raised welts that turn lighter in the center and with pressure. However, chronic hives can:

• Shift sizes and shapes.
• Appear, disappear and then reappear at least every few days for long periods of time, even months or years.
• Happen along with heat, exercise or stress.

Read Also: What Is Acute Exacerbation Of Bronchial Asthma

How Do I Manage Hives

Beyond medications, here are some strategies to consider that can help you prevent hives from developing or provide relief.

• Avoid known triggers, including foods.
• Wear loose-fitting, light clothing. Dont wear materials such as wool, which could irritate the skin.
• Avoid scented soaps and laundry detergents.
• Soothe the affected skin with a cool wet cloth, lotion or anti-itch cream.
• Cover itchy areas with bandages to avoid scratching them.
• If you must scratch, try pressing on the itchy area or stroking it using the top side of the hand instead of fingernails.
• Drink water often. Hydration can help the skin.

What Are The Symptoms Of Acute Hives

Hives look different depending on the person and the situation. They can show up anywhere on your body. Signs of acute hives include:

• Raised welts or bumps on your skin. The bumps may look reddish on lighter-colored skin.
• Swelling under your skin causing puffiness .
• Also appearing with painful swelling of your lips, eyes and inside your throat.

Read Also: Can You Get Over Asthma

Asthma Allergy And Immunology Specialists Serving Scottsdale And Phoenix

Are you looking for an allergist or immunologist in the North Scottsdale area? Trust our friendly and experienced team for treatment of Allergy, Asthma, Hives, Sinus, Rash, Sinusitus, and other immune system disorders. Combining knowledge with compassion, we diagnosis and treat adults and children of all ages. We are dedicated to helping patients gain control of their lives with excellent treatment and care. Telemedicine visits are available for sick visits, regular check ups, and new patients. Call our Scottsdale asthma and allergy clinic today at 480-500-1902.

What Conclusions Can We Draw

Obviously, this is just one study. Still, the study concluded that the incidence of hives is elevated in those diagnosed with asthma. It is not elevated in those diagnosed with hives. When asthma and hives occur in the same people, the most common link is seasonal allergies.4

The researchers also made a couple of other interesting observations. First, was that those with the most severe asthma are most likely to also have hives. Second, the most common allergen linked to both asthma and hives is the weed Parietaria Judaica. Interestingly, this weed has long been referred to as asthma weed. This is mainly because it has long been associated with seasonal allergies, such as asthma, rhinitis, and hives. Third, those with the most severe asthma are the most likely to also experience hives.4,6

Read Also: What Is The Symptoms Of Asthma

What Hives Actually Are

Hives, or urticaria, occur during an allergic reaction. The reaction promotes the release of histamine, which works to destroy the allergen but also causes the small blood vessels under your skin to leak fluid. The fluid accumulates and causes swelling, which appears as oval-shaped welts ranging from less than one inch to several inches across.

Hives disappear as your body absorbs the extra fluid. While no individual welt lasts longer than 24 hours, new ones may replace those that disappear. Acute hives include episodes that last fewer than six weeks. Chronic hives last longer than six weeks, sometimes lingering for months or even years.