A number of infections have been known to trigger hives. Bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and various other infections are included among them. Urticaria, bacteria and other infections are thus linked in a number of cases.
A number of studies have been done on hives patients suffering from stomach ulcers. In these cases, the stomach ulcers were attributable to infection with Helicobacter pylori. It emerged that, when these patients were successfully treated for the bacterial infection, they were cured of the stomach ulcers and there was also a quick resolution to their hives. Bacteria, more specifically Helicobacter pylori, were shown to be linked to the hives in these cases. It must be pointed out that many of these studies were not conclusive. However, they did indicate that the investigation of the connection between hives and various infections was worthy of further pursuit.
As the first paragraph above suggests, Helicobacter pylori is not the only bacterial infection that has been linked to hives. Others, like cystitis and tonsillitis have been linked to acute hives. As for chronic urticaria, bacteria and other infections in the gastrointestinal tract, the dental region, and the ear, nose and throat region have been linked to it.
Studies completed in the past have shown a connection between the eradication of such infections and the resolution of associated attacks of chronic urticaria. To give an example, yersiniosis is an urticaria-associated gastrointestinal infection whose treatment with antibiotics has brought about the resolution of hives. So are the pharyngitis, tonsillitis, otitis and sinusitis that result from streptococcal or staphylococcal infection. Often, testing for the relevant antibodies is done to show the presence of these infections. Their subsequent eradication using antibiotics confirms the connection between them and hives.
Increased Vulnerability to Hives: Bacteria and Other Infections
The exact mechanisms by which the infections outlined above trigger hives remain a mystery. However, there is evidence to suggest that gastrointestinal infections like Helicobacter pylori have the capacity to influence the development of disorders in other organ systems. Thus, the infections could understandably trigger the development of skin diseases and autoimmune diseases.
The relative ease with which hives have been resolved in the cases of infection described above is diametrically opposed to the complicated and often ineffective treatment of hives using such drugs as corticosteroids. The former treatment eliminates the apparent cause of the hives while the latter only addresses its symptoms. This comparison makes the case for testing for bacterial and other infection during the diagnosis of a given patient’s urticaria.
