Why Hives Develop and How to Address Them

Urticaria is one of the most common skin diseases. Although many people have experienced urticaria at some time, there are different degrees and mechanisms that can influence its manifestation, making different dermatology treatments necessary.

What is urticaria and types

Urticaria is a very common dermatological disease. In fact, it is considered that between 15 and 25% of people have had a passing episode in their lifetime.

It is the clinical manifestation of different inflammatory and immunological mechanisms. Clinically it manifests itself in the form of wheals and/or angioderma (swelling of the skin without redness).

Depending on the duration of the reaction, two types of urticaria can be distinguished. If it lasts less than 6 weeks, it is called acute urticaria, and if it lasts longer, chronic urticaria.

Mechanisms that may develop urticaria

The mechanisms that can develop urticaria are varied:

1. Immunological mechanism. It occurs in allergies to drugs or food and in physical urticaria (cold, solar urticaria).
2. Infectious mechanism. There are different types of viruses or bacteria that can trigger it.
3. Pseudoallergic mechanism. It is caused by food preservatives, for example, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
4. Other mechanisms. They are associated with other internal diseases, such as aquagenic urticaria, cholinergic urticaria or urticaria-vasculitis.

Diagnosis and treatment of urticaria

The diagnosis of urticaria is basically clinical. It is advisable for the dermatology expert to collect the patient’s data and identify the possible causes, with special attention to medications.

As for treatment, the first step is to try to eliminate the stimuli or agents causing the urticaria. Medical treatment is based on:

• Oral antihistamines. They can be recommended alone or in combination with each other. Depending on the type of urticaria may respond better to a particular antihistamine.
• Oral corticosteroids. Short courses of oral corticosteroids may be necessary in acute forms of urticaria.
• Specific treatments, for certain forms of urticaria, or for patients who do not respond adequately to conventional treatments.