Some patients have been known to experience Lyme disease and hives simultaneously. Hence, the possibility of a connection between them is worth exploring. Sometimes the coincidence is seen as evidence that Lyme disease is a trigger for hives. Lyme disease also happens to be thought of as “the great imitator”: hence, it has been suggested that the Lyme disease rash occasionally mimics hives.

Notwithstanding the coincidences mentioned above, there are important differences between hives and Lyme disease. For one, Lyme disease is an infectious, tick-borne bacterial infection. Hives are not infectious, though. They tend to manifest as symptoms in a wide range of circumstances, including bacterial infections, viral infections, autoimmune diseases and allergic reactions. Thus, it is not entirely strange for one to speculate that, in some people, Lyme disease, a bacterial infection, might trigger hives.

Another difference between Lyme disease and hives is that Lyme disease has the capacity to provoke neurocognitive symptoms, while hives do not. Lyme disease is also unlike hives in the sense that it can result in miscarriages, joint pain and muscle pain. Hives are unlikely to be associated with any of these unless they occur simultaneously with other medical conditions or complications.

Parallels between Lyme Disease and Hives

There are some notable parallels between hives and Lyme disease: hives are often idiopathic, while Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose. In both scenarios, patients have to deal with the frustration of having symptoms whose triggers or causes they cannot identify.

Lyme disease and hives are also similar in the sense that their respective progressions vary from individual to individual. Hives can be chronic or acute, and they can manifest on different body parts. Lyme disease can manifest as any of a wide range of symptoms, and there is nothing predictable about the combination in which they appear.

Lyme disease and hives have another important thing in common: many people recognize them by a characteristic skin condition. Hives tend to be characterized by wheals, reddish bumps that disappear after a while, only to reappear elsewhere. Lyme disease is often characterized by a bull’s-eye-like rash called erythema migrans, which typically appears several days after the tick bite. Interestingly enough, sometimes the erythema migrans rash takes on the appearance of other skin conditions like eczema, hives, poison ivy or sunburn. Thus, some people may be under the impression that they have hives when, in reality, they do not. If they are lucky, they may ultimately figure out that they have been infected with Lyme disease.

Hives are a common skin condition. Hence, it is easy to find information about them online. When this information is credible, it is a valuable source of hives facts for those who are suffering from the condition.

Much of the time, the available information about a given health condition is not completely based on the truth. This is cause for worry as some people might believe that information and choose to act on it. In doing so, they might endanger their health. Thus, it is important to assess the credibility of a source which claims to present hives facts.

Hives, also known as urticaria, are characterized by the appearance of welts or wheals: smooth, flat-topped itchy swellings on the skin.  They are typically pale red and may be accompanied by a burning sensation. When hives appear on the skin, they are present for a short while before disappearing and then reappearing somewhere else. Fortunately, it is only in rare cases that they are so severe as to become life-threatening. These cases tend to occur when hives is complicated by angioedema.

When Hives Facts Are Not Based On Hard and Fast Rules

Classifying hives and identifying their triggers can be complicated. This is partly due to the fact that they manifest in different ways. In some cases, they are generalized, appearing on different parts of the body. In other cases, they are localized, appearing only at the site of contact between the skin and the factor that triggered them.

Hives can be triggered by a number of factors: In some people, they are triggered by seasonal allergies. Others develop them upon exposure to foods, medications and other household items to which they are allergic. Yet other people develop hives in response to physical stimuli like heat, sweat, cold and pressure.

The above are just a few of the possible triggers of hives. There are likely many more, some of which have not yet been identified by medical science. Given these complexities, many sources avoid being definitive about the possible causes of hives. Among their more prominent hives facts, they promote the idea that hives is often an idiopathic condition- one whose trigger is indeterminable.

Given the speed with which medical knowledge evolves, it is possible that science has many surprises in store for those who make it their business to understand hives. Perhaps the hard and fast hives facts of the present moment will turn out to be the medical myths of tomorrow.

As hives is a condition that affects many people, the ready availability of hives info on various internet sites is a boon. It should, however, be emphasized that the presentation of hives can vary greatly from one individual to another. Credible online sources of information on hives recognize this.

One person might experience an episode of hives that lasts a few hours then completely recover. Another person might experience a bout of hives that extends into years of discomfort. Despite these differences, there would be no difficulty characterizing them both as suffering from hives.

Another variation might involve two people whose hives have been triggered by completely different factors: one of them might develop hives as an allergic response to eating shellfish. The other might develop hives as a result of succumbing to a viral infection. Having access to hives info on the internet would make it immediately apparent to both people that their personal experiences of hives fell within the rubric of what was normal.

The treatment for the wheals would likely be the same in both cases, but the factors that triggered the hives would have to be addressed in different ways. In the former case, the patient would have to avoid eating dishes that included shellfish. In the latter case, the patient would have to get treatment for the viral infection.

Seeking Hives Info from Experienced Medical Professionals

In the above cases, the internet would be most helpful in providing the patients with general hives info. If they wanted information more specific to their individual circumstances, they would be better off consulting a medical professional who had considerable experience treating patients with hives. That medical professional might be a general practitioner, a dermatologist, an allergist or an immunologist.

Experienced medical professionals are the best sources of hives info because they are accustomed to applying their medical knowledge to a variety of situations. They can readily recognize when one’s hives have been complicated by another medical condition. They are also trained to differentiate between hives and those skin conditions that resemble it. These skills are crucial as they help ensure that patients get the right form of treatment for their hives.

Hives is not the most straightforward of conditions. Thus, it is sometimes necessary for a patient to go through extensive testing in order to identify the triggering factors. Immunologists and allergists are the medical professionals best qualified to walk the patients through these tests. However, even under their professional oversight, it often happens that the hives’ triggers cannot be determined.

There are a number of factors that are described as triggering hives, and liver disease (specifically hepatitis B) is one of them. Hepatitis B is an infectious viral disease. The virus that is responsible for causing it is named, simply, hepatitis B virus or HBV. Because viral infections are often implicated as hives triggers, the association between hives and liver disease of the viral persuasion is not unusual.

Hepatitis B transmission occurs through body fluids. Thus, infection can spread through transfusions, dialysis, unsterilized equipment used for acupuncture or tattooing, unsterilized needles, sex and childbirth. To reduce the risk of infection, one can take precautions to reduce contact with contaminated body fluids or to strengthen the immune system. For instance, protected sex, which entails the use of condoms, significantly decreases the likelihood that HBV will be transmitted through sex. The sterilization of needles and any equipment that breaks the skin before reuse is also an important way of minimizing the transmission of infection. The third way to maximize protection against hepatitis B is immunization. Administered appropriately, hepatitis B vaccines have the capacity to boost immunity to the virus, even among newborns.

Diagnosing Liver Disease: Hives and Other Symptoms

Certain symptoms are associated with hepatitis B, but it is also true that their presentation varies from person to person. For instance, hives and liver disease might be associated in some cases, but not in others. Thus, diagnosing hepatitis B is not an easy thing to do unless one is doing so from an informed, medical perspective. Acute hepatitis has been known to mimic other medical conditions. So, instead of relying on self-diagnosis, patients should consult their doctors the minute they sense that something might be wrong in the area of the upper right abdomen.

The symptoms alluded to in the previous paragraph include jaundice, vomiting and nausea, appetite loss, tenderness in the area of the right upper abdomen, fever, soreness in the muscles, pain in the joints, itchy skin and hives. Liver disease like hepatitis B can result in cirrhosis of the liver or hepatic cancer if it becomes a chronic condition.

Additional situations in which hives and liver disease coincide involve other forms of hepatitis: namely, hepatitis A and hepatitis C. Note that the association between hepatitis (or liver disease) and hives tends to follow certain patterns. For one, it is not just any form of hives that is triggered by hepatitis. Rather, acute hives are the “culprit”. Additionally, some scientists have noted that, when hives are associated with hepatitis A through C, they tend to appear in the earliest stages of the diseases, before other hepatitis symptoms manifest.

Taking a range of nutrients, including vitamins, for hives has been described as one effective way to help ease the symptoms of the condition.

One can review medical studies for evidence of the role that vitamins can play in resolving hives. Alternatively, one can visit online discussion boards and forums for anecdotes of the relief that patients have gotten from taking vitamins for hives.

Examples Involving the Use of Vitamins for Hives Treatment

In a 1952 study on epinephrine precursors and the control of allergies, patients were given an amino acid, L-tyrosine, in combination with vitamin B6 and niacinamide (also known as vitamin B3). The targeted illnesses were all allergy-related and included hives, hay fever, allergic headaches and dermatitis (which was caused by poison oak). The combination of nutrients given in the study (in specified doses) gave the patients much relief from their symptoms. It was noted that each nutrient, when given to the patients in isolation from the other nutrients, did not give them relief from their symptoms.

Other forms of nutritional support have been given to patients suffering from hives. Vitamins and other nutrients have been combined in a mixture known as Myer’s cocktail, which consists of predetermined proportions of Magnesium, Calcium, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C. Using this combination of minerals and vitamins for hives treatment has given patients relief from their symptoms. Myer’s cocktail consists of nutrients that are often recognized to be deficient in the general population and whose deficiencies are implicated in the development of many diseases.

Another possible nutritional remedy involves taking single vitamins for hives. For instance some patients take high doses of Vitamin C when stricken by hives. Vitamin C works by ultimately lowering their bodily levels of histamine. In this way, the patients can find relief from their symptoms. Other patients receive regular injections of Vitamin B12. This form of vitamin therapy results in a drop in the number and severity of hives attacks to which the patients succumb. Vitamin D, specifically in the form of Vitamin D2, is also taken in high doses by some hives patients. It is said to work well on solar hives. As for vitamin E, some apply oils containing it to their affected skin and, in this way, get some relief from the discomfort.

Is It Possible to Get Hives from Vitamins?

Vitamins clearly play an important role in the treatment of hives. But is the opposite possible? Can vitamins cause hives? It is certainly possible for a patient to get hives from vitamins. On rare occasions, patients can develop direct allergies to vitamin molecules. It is, however, more likely for them to develop allergies to some of the non-active ingredients of the vitamin supplements they ingest. These might include artificial sweeteners, food coloring and other compounds.

It is not always possible to determine what causes hives on face. However, it is possible to identify the condition when it occurs, particularly in the presence of certain symptoms. The skin tends to itch a lot, and sometimes it has a burning sensation. It can be bright red in color and feel unusually hot. The face often has welts or large patches of inflamed skin and small, round swellings. Facial hives can extend to the neck and shoulders.

Of particular concern to medical professionals is the fact that facial hives can be accompanied by angioedema. This is a similar condition to facial hives, but it strikes deeper in the skin. While hives affect the upper dermis, angioedema affects the dermis, subcutaneous tissues, mucosa and sub-mucosal tissue. Angioedema can present as a swollen face with inflammation of the eyes, ears or mouth. It usually lasts a few hours, hence is not typically life-threatening. Even so, it is an alarming condition for the patient who experiences it. He or she will want to understand what causes hives on face and facial angioedema in order to effectively deal with them. Living with the threat of developing either or both of these conditions at any given moment can severely diminish a patient’s quality of life.

When Knowing What Causes Hives on Face Can Save Lives

In the worst case scenario, the simultaneous occurrence of facial hives and angioedema can be a threat to the patient’s life. This can happen when the patient’s throat swells, causing the constriction of the air passage and difficulty in breathing. If not addressed immediately it can result in the patient’s death. The administration of epinephrine tends to be effective when the patient’s hives and angioedema are caused by factors other than genetic heritage. When the patient’s susceptibility to hives and angioedema are inherited epinephrine is less effective. It would be important for such a patient to avoid the factor that triggered the hives and angioedema. Thus, he or she would be best served by knowledge about what causes hives on face.

Another cause for concern by a patient with facial hives would be the development of a fever. The feverish patient would likely be suffering from and reacting to an infection of some kind. Such an infection could be fatal. Thus, it would be important to get it treated as soon as possible. Seeking medical help would be paramount. In this instance figuring out what causes hives on face could help save a life.

What causes hives on the face is not always apparent to doctors. This is just one similarity between facial hives and those on other parts of the body. On those occasions when it is possible to determine what causes hives on the face, the triggers are likely to vary greatly from situation to situation. They may include physical stimuli such as excessive cold or heat, exposure to too much sun and exposure to water.

Allergies to foods like fish, shellfish, berries, eggs, milk and peanuts can also trigger facial hives. Various drug allergies, seasonal allergies, allergies to certain fabrics, insect stings and bites and cosmetic products are notorious too. In some people, illnesses like lupus, cellulitis, sinusitis, some forms of cancer and morbid obesity are associated with facial hives. In other people, trauma to the face, for instance surgery or injury, is the trigger. The hormonal changes characteristic to menopause and pregnancy have also been associated with facial hives.

Determining What Causes Hives on the Face

Because the face is the most readily visible part of the body, facial hives are likely to garner a lot of attention. Not only do the tell-tale swollen areas, wheals and reddish skin cause intense itching and the sensation of burning, they also cause self-consciousness on the part of the person suffering from them. He or she is likely to be anxious to determine what causes hives on the face. Consulting an allergy specialist would be a good way to try to do this. The specialist would run numerous tests and, by eliminating a number of possibilities, would hopefully arrive at the “culprit.”

Knowing what causes hives on the face is a good thing for the sufferer of hives because it empowers him or her to avoid the substance or minimize exposure to it. Eliminating the item from one’s routine tends to ease the symptoms. However, it is not always possible for an individual to avoid the factors that trigger hives. This is the case for those whose hives are triggered by physical stimuli like heat, cold or pressure. As they cannot control their physical environment at all times, they have to be able to adjust to different situations. Hence, many of them use antihistamines to treat their symptoms. Yet others use corticosteroids. It is not unheard of for them to have an epinephrine autoinjector handy just in case they get stung by a bee or accidentally ingest peanuts and react adversely.

Parents with young children are interested in understanding what causes hives in kids because this kind of knowledge puts them in a good position to address their children’s health issues as they arise. Viral infections happen to be among the frequent triggers of acute hives in children. Many of these viral infections are ultimately harmless and are resolved quickly, especially if the child has a healthy immune system. However, some of them are potentially serious infections when left untreated.

Some of the viral infections that have been associated with hives include rubella, infectious mononucleosis, herpes, hepatitis, the common cold and influenza. When the hives appear, they tend to be an indication that the immune system has begun to overcome the viral infection. They can often be read as a sign that the child is getting better.

Hives constitute a complex condition about which much remains unknown. Thus, even if it is widely accepted that viral infections can play a role in the development of hives, the mechanism by which this happens is not always clear. With this in mind, one might want to consider whether it is more appropriate to speak of the factors that trigger hives in kids than to speak of what causes hives in kids.

Further Consideration of What Causes Hives in Kids

Further consideration of what causes hives in kids reveals a host of other triggers. These factors include bacterial infections, various forms of medication and insect bites and stings. Food allergies are also notorious for triggering hives. In some cases, the allergens in question are a regular part of the diet, like peanuts or fish. This makes them particularly dangerous because it is not always possible to control the child’s environment and ensure that he or she will not accidentally ingest the allergen.

Unlike the localized hives that usually result when a child comes into direct physical contact with an allergen like pollen or the venom in an insect bite, the hives that are associated with viral infections tend to be spread out all over the body. When allergies are the triggering factor for a child’s hives, angioedema sometimes coincides with the child’s other symptoms. In its most extreme forms, this can result in the child’s suffocation. Treating the symptoms of hives and removing their trigger from the child’s environment is of paramount importance. This is one instance where knowing what causes hives in kids can help ensure the prompt and appropriate treatment of a child.

Sufferers of hives have an interest in understanding what causes hives on the body because doing so is the first step towards finding an appropriate form of treatment. Hives are triggered by a number of different factors. Additionally, they manifest on the body in a variety of different ways. In some cases, the hives are localized, affecting only the immediate area to which the triggering factor was exposed. In other cases, they are generalized, affecting even those parts of the body to which the factor was not directly exposed.

In many cases, the hives present as itchy skin with reddish welts that appear on certain parts of the body. These eventually disappear then reappear elsewhere on the body. The body parts on which they appear tend to be the limbs and trunk. When the hives are particularly severe, they can appear on the face, together with angioedema. Sometimes, because of the rapidity with which hives occur and then disappear, a patient may be symptomless by the time she consults a doctor. Taking pictures of the hives before they disappear would help the doctor make a diagnosis.

What Causes Hives On The Body: Considering Cold, Stress And Solar Triggers.

Rather than limiting oneself to an exploration of what causes hives on the body, it might do to also look at the presentation of specific types of hives. One might consider hives that are triggered by exposure to the cold, for instance. The common variety of these hives tends to appear on those parts of the body that have been exposed to the cold. Thus, somebody who left only his legs exposed to the cold would likely have hives on the legs alone. On the other hand, somebody who had the hereditary form of these hives would develop them all over his body after exposure to the cold.

Cholinergic urticaria tends to manifest as small hives on the arms and upper trunk. Sometimes they extend upwards to the neck and downwards to the thighs. What causes hives on the body in this instance is the person’s involvement in activities that raise the body temperature.

In the case of solar urticaria, what causes hives on the body is the exposure of the skin to certain wavelengths of light in the sun’s rays. Typically, it is the parts of the body that have been most highly exposed to the sun that present with hives. The hives do not last very long. Often, they are no longer visible 24 hours after one has stopped exposure to the wavelengths of light in question.

Urticaria or hives can develop as a result of various types of allergy. Hives’ causes include various medications, foods, preservatives and additives, the venom from insect bites and other allergens. These allergens trigger the body’s mast cells to release histamine and other chemicals. The chemicals cause the leakage of fluid from the capillaries into the upper layers of the skin. As a result, the skin breaks out in swellings known as hives.

Sometimes people go about their lives oblivious to the fact that they have an allergy. Hives causes them much discomfort and frustration when, one day, they are exposed to the allergen. This is often how they find out that they have a particular allergy. Typically, those who have allergies to foods like eggs and peanuts learn about them early in their lives because these foods or products made from them are part and parcel of the regular person’s diet. Those who have allergies to less frequently eaten food items might not find out about them until later in their lives.

Sometimes, When One Is Diagnosing an Allergy, Hives Causes Confusion.

In many cases, people will break out in hives each time they are exposed to an allergen. Unfortunately, because the allergen in question is a preservative or additive that is “hidden” in a variety of products they use, they may have a hard time determining what exactly it is they are reacting to. This may be the case for somebody who has an allergy to a chemical like the synthetic food dye, FD&C Red No. 40. The food dye is used in candy, baked goods, ketchup, breakfast cereals, soft drinks, yoghurt and other food products. A person who regularly eats these items may develop hives again and again without realizing that it is the same allergen each time. Only an allergist would be able to diagnose him or her as having an FD&C Red No. 40 allergy. Hives causes much confusion to patients and doctors alike until such diagnoses are made.

When one has an allergy to medication, it usually does not manifest when the medication is first used. It tends to take a bit of time before the body is fully primed to react strongly to the allergen. Thus, it might take one or two weeks before the medication starts to trigger the symptoms associated with an allergy. Hives causes confusion in such cases because one cannot tie the development of the symptoms to the day he or she began using the medication.