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Hives
Category: Skin, Hair & Nails · All skin symptoms
What it can feel like
Hives (urticaria) are raised, itchy welts — pale or red bumps with a pale centre — that appear suddenly, move around, and individually fade within hours, though new ones may replace them. Hives are the skin's allergic-style reaction pattern, driven by histamine released in the skin.
Possible causes
A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.
Common causes
Hives can be associated with foods, medicines (antibiotics and anti-inflammatory painkillers are common), infections (the commonest trigger in children), insect stings, cold, pressure, heat and stress. In chronic hives lasting beyond six weeks, an external trigger is often never found.
Other possible causes
Hives can be part of anaphylaxis — a whole-body allergic emergency with swelling of lips and tongue, wheezing and collapse. Chronic hives can occasionally be associated with autoimmune patterns, including thyroid autoimmunity.
Red flags — when to seek help promptly
- Hives with swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth — emergency
- Hives with wheezing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness or feeling faint — emergency (anaphylaxis)
- Individual welts that stay in the same spot beyond 24–36 hours, bruise or hurt (a different pattern needing review)
- Hives continuing beyond six weeks
- Hives in a baby, or with fever and joint pains
What a clinician may do
A clinician will ask about new foods, medicines, infections and sting exposures, and whether any swelling or breathing symptoms occurred. Anaphylaxis is treated with adrenaline immediately. For chronic hives, antihistamine strategy is the mainstay and a small set of blood tests may be done; allergy testing is targeted, not blanket.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
Why does each welt disappear within hours?
Histamine dilates local vessels and leaks fluid into the skin; as it is cleared, the welt flattens and fades without a mark. Welts that persist in one spot, hurt or leave bruising suggest inflammation of the vessels themselves (urticarial vasculitis) — a different condition needing review.
Should I keep an adrenaline auto-injector?
If your hives have ever come with airway swelling, breathing difficulty or faintness, yes — and a written action plan. Hives alone, without those features, do not usually require one. Your clinician will judge by the reaction history.
Related symptoms — Skin, Hair & Nails
Browse the H section of the A–Z list or return to the Symptoms A–Z hub.