Itchy skin? Causes for hives

Knowing the cause of hives can help you to manage the condition. Even when the cause is not known, it can be effectively managed.

Acute hives

Infection is a common cause of acute hives, especially in infants and children. Allergy to plants, animals, food, medication or insect stings can also be a cause.¹ Hives usually occur within 1-2 hours and disappear after 6-8 hours.¹ Allergic hives are suspected if the episodes are short-lived and occur under specific circumstances – e.g. within 2 hours after a meal. Allergy can also affect other parts of the body and can involve stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing or dizziness.¹

Chronic hives

Chronic hives can be spontaneous, with the hives appearing anywhere on the body at any time, or they can be triggered by physical factors.

• The causes of chronic spontaneous hives may involve an underlying infection or the immune system; the triggers are usually not known^1,2
• Chronic inducible urticaria is triggered by physical factors such as pressure, temperature or light; hives usually appear on the area of skin that was exposed to the trigger¹
• Treatment involves avoiding or reducing exposure to the trigger (if known) and medications to relieve symptoms.³

For some of these treatments you need to be in the care of an immunologist or dermatologist. Speak to your GP about a referral to an urticaria specialist.

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