Types and Causes of Hives

Hives is a kind of rash or skin allergy that is often triggered by an allergen. The skin condition is typically comprised of raised, circular welts on the skin that are often itchy and develop in batches. Hives can differ in size, from a few to several millimeters in diameter. Hives often affects the arms, throat, trunk and legs. This article explains the types and causes of hives.

It may surprise you to find out that there are several different types and causes of hives. While most individuals have their hives develop spontaneously without any obvious triggers, others realize that the things they drink, eat or do can make hives show up more often. For instance, there is a group of conditions referred to as physical urticarias. These show up with a range of physical stimuli to the skin. Symptoms come out alone or come with spontaneous hives. While it is not common that the cause is an underlying disease, this does happen. For instance, solar urticaria has been linked with a rare health problem known as hypereosinophilia syndrome.

Basically, there are 2 types of hives: acute hives and chronic hives. Acute hives can endure up to 6 weeks. The major causes of hives in this case include bug bites/stings, food allergies, certain drugs and indications of disease/s. On the other hand, chronic hives are not as common as acute hives. They endure indefinitely, and may appear and reappear within long periods of time. The cause in this cause is not clear—some doctors consider them to be related to stress.