Among the triggers of hives, infection plays a prominent role. Various infections can play a role in triggering hives: infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites come to mind. Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that have been associated with the development of some stomach ulcers, have also been shown to be associated with hives. Some medical studies on patients with Helicobacter pylori have shown that, upon antibiotic treatment for this bacterial infection, hives and stomach ulcers alike are cured.

In addition to Helicobacter pylori infections, other bacterial infections have been shown to trigger hives: Cystitis and tonsillitis have been associated with acute hives. Infection with Yesinia and various streptococci and staphylococci, especially in the gastrointestinal, upper respiratory, dental and ENT regions has been tied to chronic hives. The successful treatment of all these bacterial infections using antibiotics cures the patients’ hives.

Viral Infection and Hives

As mentioned above, infections of various kinds are responsible for triggering different forms of hives. Viral infection is a common acute hives trigger among children. Rubella, herpes, influenza, the common cold and infectious mononucleosis are just a few examples of viral infections that have been associated with hives in children.

The mechanisms by which viral infections trigger hives are often not clearly understood. Thus, it would be problematic to unambiguously assert that viral infections caused hives. However, it is appropriate to say that viral infections trigger hives. The word “trigger” implies that sometimes viral infections play a role in setting the hives mechanism into motion, even though such a role might not be direct.

When they are triggered by a viral infection, hives tend to appear spread out on different parts of the body. This is referred to as a generalized skin condition. It is distinctly different from the localized skin condition known as contact urticaria. Contact urticaria is provoked by direct contact with allergenic substances. Hence the rash develops in the area of skin that comes into direct contact with the allergen. Something similar happens with forms of physical urticaria such as dermatographism: The urticarial wheals develop on the areas of skin that are subjected to physical pressure.

Yeast Infection, Hives and the Connection between Them

Candida albicans is the fungus responsible for causing oral thrush and vaginal yeast. When the body’s friendly bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus fails to keep the growth of Candida and other organisms under control, then they allow the development of a yeast infection. Hives is sometimes associated with yeast infections: it has shown to be a factor in sensitizing the body and predisposing it towards developing chronic hives. Infection with yeast has the added disadvantage of playing a role in the development of conditions like psoriasis, irritable bowel syndrome and asthma.

When the search for the cause of hives, or urticaria begins, keep an open mind. What is the cause of urticaria in one person will not have any effect in another, and the cause for hives in the same person may change in different stages of life. There are a few areas that will likely hold the answer if it is to be found and those are the areas you should focus on when searching for your own cause of hives.

Can stress cause hives?

One cause of hives that is often overlooked is stress. While there are certainly foods that cause hives, stress can be a cause of hives more often than you may think. One easy way to begin your detective work is to start keeping a journal on a small pad you can carry with you. Record what you eat, record events that happen during the day. If the hives cause is food it should become apparent fairly soon. They will appear suddenly and quickly and you’ll be able to look at what you ate. A pattern will be apparent if the cause of hives is food.

Stress is a different matter. If you are going through a major life event like a job loss, or divorce, the recurrence of hives will not be triggered by any certain food and will come and go seemingly at random. But you may notice that an argument with a co-worker or spouse triggers a hives event. The cause of urticaria could be a certain stressful time of the day for you, such as before a daily meeting, or your dreaded commute home. The hives themselves will not appear any different regardless of cause, so your event journal may bring something you didn’t think of before. Stress has many physical manifestations and there is no reason to think that it could be the cause of hives in adults just as it affects other organs like the heart or lungs. Since the skin is the largest of all the organs, the effect of stress on the skin could be the cause of hives, rashes, acne, or other skin problems. Stress certainly makes us sweat, and sweat is one known cause for hives. A detailed journal will help you uncover your own stressors. Stress should really not be overlooked as the cause of urticaria, it is the case more often than most people think, especially in a single event or outbreak.

Diseases that cause hives

Autoimmune diseases like lupus are a known cause of hives and if you have one of these diseases, chronic hives may be one of the symptoms. Any autoimmune disease you may have would be a probable cause, since hives is an immune system response.

Thyroid disease is by far the most common disease that can be a cause of hives. But there are other illnesses that cause hives, some of which are listed below.

• Lymphoma
• Carcinomas
• Amyloidosis
• Mastocytosis
• Polycythemia Vera

And Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is often a cause of hives in children.

Allergies that cause hives

When most people think about what can cause hives, allergies come to mind. But the truth is that chronic hives are hardly ever caused by allergies. Pet allergies are the most common allergic cause of hives, but only in acute cases. Some of the more common allergies to be the cause of urticaria are:

• Medications (especially codeine and NSAID drugs)
• Fungus spores or pollens can be a cause of urticaria for those who otherwise suffer from seasonal allergies
• Latex
• Insect Bites or stings
• Dairy products
• Nuts (especially peanuts)
• Fish (shellfish are a notorious cause of urticaria)

Cause of urticaria can be hereditary

Finally, don’t forget to ask family members if they have a history of hives. This will not help you treat your own case but may hel you understand your own cause of hives and come to terms with the fact that you may never find the urticaria cause.

The most common causes of hives are allergic reactions that trigger an immune system response. The immune system acts as if there is something foreign in the body and signals the body to release histamine to fight it. Some of the more common causes of hives may be:

• Insect bites
• Food allergies
• Temperature extremes
• Infections (fungal or viral)
• Food additives
• Tight clothes rubbing skin or repeated stroking of skin causes hives

These are very broad but common skin hives causes, particularly when looking for what causes hives of the acute variety.

What causes hive rash

The causes of hives, or what causes skin hives are well known. It is the actual trigger or triggers that have patients and doctors perplexed. It is the release of histamine that causes the small blood vessels to leak fluid. This fluid accumulates in the skin and is actually what causes the hives and the associated rash and wheals. But the trigger is never found in half the cases and chronic hives causes are even more difficult to figure out. The symptoms are usually straightforward to treat, but the causes of hives being so difficult to detect means that what causes rashes and hives will remain a mystery for many.

What causes hives in adults?

The causes of hives in adults, when they can be determined, are usually related to a drug the adult is taking or a reaction to food. Food allergies are where the difference in hives causes in adults differs most from children. In adults, the most common food causes of hives are shellfish, fish, peanuts, and other nuts.

This may be because are more likely to be on drugs or other medications and more likely to eat fish and shellfish than children. Painkillers are a common trigger and more adults use painkillers than children.

What are the causes of hives in children?

Viral infections are generally recognized as the most common causes for hives in children

When the causes of hives in children are narrowed down to food, the food causes in children tend to be mostly milk, eggs, soy, wheat, and peanuts or other nuts. Again, this may be anecdotal since children tend to eat more dairy products than adults, and by the time one becomes an adult, they will have likely already figured out that these dairy products are one of the causes of hives and are already avoiding them.

These are the main differences between what causes hives in children and adults. Most of the other identifiable causes are the same and treatment is usually the same for both adults and children. But you shouldn’t be surprised if the causes of hives is never identified, as the majority never are.

At least one in five adults has experienced hives. Many parents are alarmed to find their children with hives, but they really shouldn’t be too alarmed. In most cases they are acute hives, meaning they will likely go away almost as quickly as they appeared. And most likely, you will find children with hives are never able to be diagnosed as to the cause.

Most of us know the symptoms. Hives, otherwise referred to as urticaria, are those bothersome red, large, raised areas that appear on the skin in almost any part of the body and they are usually extremely itchy. They can sometimes be a bit frightening, especially the first time a person gets them.

And imagine children, with hives appearing for no reason and looking quite frightening. Young children with hives may come running to their parents crying and very scared that these large, scary splotches just came out of nowhere. The first thing you should do if this happens is to try to calm your child quickly. Anxiety and stress tend to aggravate hives and make the condition even worse, or appear in other areas. And you may need to calm yourself down as well.

What can make hives appear so quickly and without warning?

If you or your children have never had hives before, you ought to do a quick internet search for pictures of children with hives. You’ll see they can be quite intimidating in appearance. The other thing you should know that in more than half the cases, children with hives have a condition that is classified as idiopathic. This means that the cause is unknown and will never be known.  If this is the first time you have seen your children with hives, and they disappear and don’t come back, you should probably just forget about it. You will just cause unnecessary anxiety for yourself and perhaps you child.

But if the hives reappear, you should know that many things can cause urticaria and in the case of children with hives, the most common cause of them is a virus. The hives are just a symptom of the body’s immune system trying to fight off an attack, either real or perceived as real by the immune system. They are caused by the release of histamine, which happens quickly, from mast cells under the skin. This release causes leakage of fluid from blood vessels, albeit small leakage, that causes the red appearance, the raised area, and the itchiness that children with hives experience.

Allergic reactions to food or medications are another frequent cause of the hives, and if this is the case, the hives will appear shortly after exposure or ingestion of the offending medicine or food. Children with hives caused by an allergic reaction to antibiotics or other medicines may not get them the first time they use the medicine. This is because an allergic reaction is the way the body reacts to something for which it has built up proteins called antibodies. And sometimes it takes being exposed several times before there are enough of the antibodies to cause the response seen as hives.

Things in the environment of children with hives could be the culprit as well. So look for possibilities like pollen, pet dander, grass or tree pollen or anything else that may also be causing the child to sneeze.

Children with hives only need to see a doctor if the condition is persistent or becomes chronic

Children with hives that last longer than six weeks or hives that come and go repeatedly for six weeks or longer are suffering from chronic hives and you will want to see a doctor to see if you can discover the cause. Chronic hives are seldom an allergic reaction and you will want to try to get to the root of it. Antihistamines are a normal treatment but if you can find the cause and remove it, you will be doing better for your child. Antihistamines are not a good long-term solution for children with hives as they can become dependent on them. A natural approach or a more holistic approach that strengthens the immune system or removes the cause is a better approach. And if the hives do have a viral cause, you’ll want to get to the bottom of that as well.

It is easy to define what urticaria is and what prompts those raised and itchy splotches on the skin. But urticaria causes and treatment is not the same matter. Urticaria, or hives is, in short words, a hypersensitive reaction in the skin to a release of histamine. But what exactly are the urticaria causes and treatment.

Acute urticaria causes

Acute urticaria is simply an outbreak of hives that happens only once or twice, and in no case reoccurs over a period exceeding six weeks. Acute urticaria causes and treatment are the hardest to pin down. The outbreak often comes and goes before the patient ever gets to the doctor to look at it, therefore a cause cannot be anything other than a guess. And honestly, if you only have a short outbreak, the acute urticaria causes and treatment don’t even really matter, because treatment isn’t really needed for a condition that no longer exists and doesn’t come back.

Causes of chronic urticaria

What causes urticaria in chronic cases is much more difficult to answer than the chemical action that make the symptoms appear. There are both allergic and non-allergic causes. Some of the non-allergic chronic urticaria causes include:

• Autoimmune related
• Hormone triggers
• Anxiety triggers
• Exercise-related triggers
• Temperature extremes
• Solar exposure

Some urticaria is allergy related. Some of these may be:

• Alcohol, codeine, cocaine, and other illicit drugs
• Prescription and OTC drugs like NSAIDS, antihistamines, antibiotics, and vaccinations
• Food allergies like dairy, wheat, shellfish, food additives, and proteins
• Insect bites and/or infections
• Certain perfumes and deodorants, and body powders

Urticaria causes and treatments are easy in the above examples. The causes are usually something the patient has just used or come in contact with and the treatment is to avoid those agents.

Urticaria causes and treatment in the homeopathy field

It is best to not start using antihistamines or cortisones if you can avoid it. They become almost habit forming in the sense that once started, if you stop using them the hives come back almost inevitably.

The alternative treatments attempt to treat urticaria at the immunological level. The idea is that treating the hives at the immunological level will take care of the underlying causes of urticaria instead of just treating the symptoms. When you do this, the symptoms never appear and in effect you are dealing with the urticaria causes and treatment at the same time without becoming the slave to a prescription or OTC medicine. The problem, whatever the cause, is an immunological problem and that is the way you should try to treat it.

Acute urticaria, or hives, is the most common form of the skin condition. Chronic urticaria is much more bothersome and autoimmune urticaria is thought to be the culprit in over half of these cases. While acute urticaria is usually not a severe medical concern, chronic cases are. The symptoms are very interruptive for the patient and they sometimes become desperate for help. Autoimmune urticaria is thought to be the cause in about 56% of the chronic cases. Chronic autoimmune urticaria is often difficult to diagnose but it can be done with persistence.

Autoimmune urticaria symptoms

The symptoms of autoimmune urticaria are the same as for acute urticaria. The itchy wheals appearing suddenly are the most common of symptoms and most apparent. It is thought that chronic urticaria autoimmune disease is not caused by the same triggers, however. Autoimmune urticaria usually starts as an autoimmune response where the mast cells of the skin release histamine under the skin, resulting in the swelling and the wheals. It’s not really understood why this happens. In fact, when a doctor diagnoses autoimmune chronic idiopathic urticaria, it is a medical terminology meant to say the cause is unknown.

Autoimmune urticaria diagnosis

If the hives persist beyond six weeks, they are classified as chronic. Chronic cases are not typically the result of any external symptoms, so allergy tests are probably a waste of time. The doctor will want to rule out anemia and parasites and may have some interest in the patient’s intake of caffeine, drugs, alcohol, as well as any mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

An erythrocyte sedimentation rate test, known more commonly as an ESR can help to identify immune system problems, which is the likely cause. Thyroid function and liver function tests are generally helpful because autoimmune chronic urticaria is often a reaction to one of these organ’s problems.

Chronic autoimmune urticaria can go on for years

The most compelling reason to try to treat idiopathic chronic urticaria is that these cases can go on for years. Around half of patients will show improvement after three to five years. But that is a long time to deal with the severe und uncomfortable symptoms. A full 25% of patients will have symptoms that continue for 10 years or longer. This causes many to fall into depression, and understandably so.

A whole body or homeopathic approach to strengthening the immune system seems to make sense to treat autoimmune urticaria. Since the causes are generally unknown and often never discovered, many patients find that treating the entire immune system in a holistic manner makes the symptoms disappear or at least go away to the point where life becomes normal again.

Urticaria in pregnancy is actually a fairly common skin condition. Urticaria is the medical term for hives, in pregnancy not as common as they are for those not pregnant. Hives are characterized by raised, splotchy, red, or pale colored areas that are sometimes severely itchy. These areas are called wheals and can appear anywhere on the body, can change shape, color, or location, and can disappear as fast as they appear. The main consideration may be the treatment of urticaria in pregnancy because you may want to avoid certain pharmaceutical remedies that you would otherwise think nothing of. You should always be cautious about using any drugs during pregnancy that may cause harm to your child.

Breaking out in hives during pregnancy

The first thing you should know about urticaria in pregnancy is that pregnancy hives, even hives in early pregnancy, is not harmful to the baby or the mother. But the mother usually has enough discomfort associated with being pregnant without the added itchiness hives in pregnancy brings. Only about one in a hundred women will develop urticaria in pregnancy and when they do, the wheals usually appear on the legs, arms, and back area. Only if the hives appear in the area of the genitals that a doctor should be consulted right away. The doctor will usually not prescribe steroids or other drugs for urticaria in pregnancy out of concern for the fetus but he or she may advise a lotion or cream to help relieve the itching and discomfort. Hives in pregnancy or without being pregnant cannot be cured with these lotions, but the itchiness can be relieved. Oral steroids should only be used as a last resort out of concern for the baby in the womb.

Other conditions that mimic urticaria in pregnancy

There is a condition that is similar to hives in pregnancy known as Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP). This is another benign dermatitis that usually shows up late in the pregnancy. It is as harmless as hives in pregnancy but is more like a rash than the splotchy wheals seen in hives. PUPPP typically starts on the stomach and spreads to the legs, feet, chest, arms, and neck. It seems to affect women carrying boys more than girls but still only affects about one in two hundred and disappears without treatment within a week after delivery.

Causes of hives in pregnancy

The actual cause of urticaria in pregnancy is really unknown. Certainly pregnancy brings with it hormonal changes and fluctuations in progesterone and estrogen levels. Sometimes this change affects the skin and the constant itching itself will bring on the hives in pregnancy. But for the most part it is idiopathic, which is to say in medical terms that the cause is not known.

Another theory as to the cause of hives in pregnancy is that the hormonal imbalance in the blood stream sets off the production of IgE antibodies by the auto-immune system of the mother. These IgE antibodies then bind with the skin’s mast cells, producing histamines. These histamines produce the allergic reaction in the body that present as hives.

If they really become bothersome, you should seek a natural alternative to treat them and chances are they will not be a problem after delivery.

First of all, you should know that urticaria in kids is not unusual. Urticaria is the medical term for what most people know as hives. Hives in kids is a fairly common occurrence and if it only appears once or twice and doesn’t last, you probably don’t need to worry about it. This would be referred to as acute urticaria in kids. Urticaria in kids is a skin condition that shows up as red, swollen, and itchy areas on the skin. They can appear very suddenly on any area of the body or all over the body. Acute means that there is only a couple of episodes and they do not reappear for more than 6 weeks.

Hives in kids that reappear for longer than six weeks are classified as chronic, and usually more a cause for concern, if only for the discomfort and inconvenience.

What causes hives in kids?

Hives in kids can be brought on by certain foods. Some of the more common foods that can trigger an episode of urticaria in kids are eggs, milk, nuts, and shellfish.

Medicines can also cause urticaria in kids. Although it could be almost any medicine for each individual, some medicines are more commonly used by children and those that are known to be a cause of hives in kids are Phenobarbital, penicillin, aspirin, anticonvulsants, and sulfa.

Some other causes of hives in kids

Although sometimes you may never discover the true cause, some other known causes of urticaria in kids include:

• Exposure to cold water or cold air
• Exposure to sunlight or sometimes even prolonged exposure to light from a bulb
• Excessive scratching of the skin in the same spot or rubbing of the skin from clothes that are too tight or rub in a certain area repeatedly.

If a diagnosis can be made, it will need to be in person and will be based on personal history as well as a physical exam.

What is the usual treatment for hives in kids?

If you can identify the cause, the best treatment is to avoid the cause or source of the hives. If the hives are acute and have already disappeared, you may be given no treatment at all. But for chronic hives in kids, your child’s overall general health, and health history will be taken into account as will how much discomfort the hives are causing. Don’t be afraid to voice your own opinion or ask questions. Just because you went to the doctor doesn’t mean you have to walk out with a prescription. Urticaria in kids has often been successfully treated with natural or alternative methods and therapies, as well as diet change.

When medicines are prescribed for hives in kids, the typical antihistamines like Benadryl® or Atarax®. Keep in mind these medications will make your child sleepy. Some of the antihistamines that don’t cause drowsiness are Claritan® or Zyrtec®.

Hives in kids is usually only serious if there is trouble breathing or the swelling is severe.

What is hives disease situation that you need to concern yourself with? You should only be concerned if your hives become chronic – meaning they last for longer than six weeks. Most cases of hives disease go unidentifiable as to the cause but there are many possibilities. The more relevant question is what is hives disease caused by, and could my hives and autoimmune disease be a factor.

Hives autoimmune disease commonalities

What is hives disease test you can have to narrow things down? You should ask for an autologous serum skin test (ASST). This is a painless test where blood is drawn, spun in a centrifuge to separate the serum, and the serum is re-injected to see if you develop the wheals that identify hives. A positive result will not only answer your questions like what is hives and is it autoimmune disease and hives together, but a negative result will allow you to rule out autoimmune disease hives and pursue other alternatives.

Chances are that chronic hives skin disease is autoimmune and acute hives is not

What autoimmune disease causes hives? Some possibilities are listed here:

• Autoimmune angioedema
• Autoimmune thyroid disease
• Chrohn’s disease
• Graves disease
• Thyroid disease
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Ulcerative colitis

This is only a partial list of conditions that might indicate autoimmune disease and hives.

What is hives disease if I have Thyroid disease as well?

Hives disease is often seen in patients with thyroid disease. It is not the hives disease that causes the thyroid problems but it is interesting that patients that suffer with chronic hives (or urticaria) often cannot get an explanation for the hives outbreaks but respond well when given thyroid treatment. This is true for almost all the autoimmune treatments. Chrohn’s disease hives and Hashimoto’s disease and hives have a similar relationship. A patient will have chronic unexplained hives for years and will respond well when treated in conventional ways for these diseases. This is true even if they do not have a current diagnosis of these autoimmune diseases.

Perhaps even more curious is that they will often be diagnose up to ten years later for the same autoimmune disease who’s treatment rid them of the hives. This may suggest that hives is somewhat of a precursor to these autoimmune diseases, although it is impossible currently to establish that relationship at the time the hives are remedied. It may be a long time, if ever before a concrete relationship is established, but there is no doubt some relation in some cases of hives and certain autoimmune diseases.

It’s not surprising that a list of hives book names may include over 500 titles. With 20 percent or better of the population suffering from hives, there have been plenty of books written on the topic. If you were to decide to spend your money, what is it that you want to learn from the hives book?

The expensive hives book option

Unless you are a physician or a dermatology student, chances are you don’t need to spend close to $200 on a textbook covering the urticaria condition. But they do exist and they will set you back a good bit of money. One hives book of this type sells for about $295 titled Urticaria and Angioedema. It is a hardcover hives book edited by Allen Kaplan and Malcom W. Graves. Published in hardcover and in its second edition, there is over 400 pages of information and is probably the most comprehensive book on the subject. This is way more than the average hives sufferer needs to learn or could even get through. But if you want a hives book that covers urticaria from every angle and aspect, this is a book for you. While not meaning to diminish the value of the information contained in this hives book, it’s doubtful you would ever get through it.

The cheap hives book option

While not necessarily a hives book, there is certainly lots of free nformation, some of it in PDF book form that you can get for free. Some of this information is very good and much of it thorough. But the problem with the free information is that it tends to be very general and repetitive. A free hives book online is probably worth what you pay for it. You’ll get the basics, but not much more. If you are looking for specific treatment recommendations or diagnosis, it’s doubtful that a free hives book will provide that.

A reasonably priced e-book is probably best choice

With the proliferation of information on the internet, your best alternative is probably a well-written and researched e-book. Hives books that address the area of hives you want to focus on can be found at reasonable prices.

A hives book that provides treatment methods not commonly found are well worth the modest price and will be able to give you ways to end the suffering. A hives book that outlines a treatment plan that will rid you of the problem is money well-spent. There are a few good ones out there written by doctors that have actually treated hives patients with success and are willing to share their work with you for a reasonable price.

A hives book offering a treatment that works is better than an office visit to confirm you have hives and then sends you home with an antihistamine. The price of the book should be about the same or less than an office visit but is worth it because you will have reference information to read again if needed and rid you of your suffering. Do a little research and look for a hives book that offers you something that works other than the same information you can easily find with a simple internet search.