Hives affects all age groups, but hives in teenagers are of special interest. This is because teenagers are at a stage of great emotional vulnerability and any condition that sets them apart from their peers can cause them much anxiety.
Of course anybody suffering from hives is bound to feel self-conscious. That is not a reaction unique to teenagers. However, teenagers, above other age groups, have a special need to fit in among their peers and to feel physically attractive. The sudden appearance of red wheals on their bodies or, sometimes, on their faces, puts paid to this dream. The longer the hives last, the more pronounced the anxiety they are likely to feel.
Hives in teenagers are caused by a variety of factors, essentially the same factors that trigger hives in other age-groups. Teenagers are susceptible to seasonal allergies and to autoimmune conditions. They also get bacterial and viral infections and react negatively to certain medications, foods and food additives.
It is also worth pointing out that teenagers experience fluctuating hormonal levels as they go through the rapid physical and emotional changes that characterize adolescence. The other population groups that experience fluctuating hormonal levels due to milestone changes are pregnant women and menopausal women. These two groups of women happen to have increased vulnerability to hives. It therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise that hormonal fluctuations coincide with hives in teenagers.
Cholinergic Hives in Teenagers
Cholinergic urticaria is one form of hives that affects teenagers. It is triggered by temperature rises or by sweating. When one suffers from this condition, activities that increase body temperature, such as exercise, can provoke the development of hives. Sitting in a heated room, which is comparatively passive, can also provoke cholinergic urticaria, as can extreme emotions.
While cholinergic urticaria affects all age groups, most of those who develop it first do so in their late teens or early twenties. Is there something about belonging to this age group that increases vulnerability to cholinergic hives?
Vulnerability to cholinergic urticaria has been linked to stress in different age groups. So it is possible that high stress levels contribute to the development of cholinergic hives in teenagers. If this is the case, then counseling could make a difference as could various relaxation and coping strategies.
Cholinergic urticaria is often a cyclical condition. Those who develop it can have attacks followed by periods of remission, at the end of which they succumb to fresh attacks. This state of affairs can continue for years or even decades before finally resolving.
