Few conditions prove more
frustrating and uncomfortable than hives (urticaria).
They may be acute – lasting less than 1
month or may play out for years. They
occur in babies and in senior citizens.
Often hives are accompanied with
swellings. There are hundreds of possible
causes. There are dozens of proposed
treatments. I found the antihistamine,
hydroxyzine, by far the most helpful
medication. It is to be taken daily at
night indefinitely.
Allergists don’t commonly
treat acute hives. Not because these are
not bothersome nor unmanageable, but
because the cause is readily apparent The
victim should initiate self treatment.
Hives are generally uncomfortable but not
a serious life and death phenomenon –
unless they are but the first sign of
anaphylaxis, a true emergency.
