Hives are red, itchy, raised welts or spots on the skin.
The medical term for hives is hives.
What is chronic spontaneous urticaria?
Why do hives occur?
The body’s cells store histamine, a chemical that the immune system releases when it recognizes a threat.
Histamine affects blood vessels
Histamine released by the body opens blood vessels and allows more blood flow. This may cause skin symptoms such as:
edema
erythema
itching
What causes hives?
Common triggers for hives include:
allergy
Bacterial infections, including UTIs and strep
Viral infections, including colds and mono
Certain medicines, including antibiotics and ibuprofen
extremely hot or cold temperatures
However, with CSU, there is no identifiable trigger and the cause is usually unknown.
CSU and inflammation
CSU is often associated with type 2 inflammation, which is damaging inflammation caused by an overactive immune system that goes on the attack when there is nothing to fight.
What should we do about CSU?
Identifying what exactly causes CSU can be tricky, making it difficult to treat.
If your hives don’t go away or keep coming back, see an allergist. An allergist is a doctor who specializes in treating allergy-related health problems.
How an Allergist Can Help
Your allergist will talk to you about your CSU symptoms, provide a physical exam, and may even perform some lab work to help determine what’s causing your hives.
CSU treatment
In addition to helping you identify triggers, an allergist can suggest treatments to help control CSU. These include:
For more information
To learn more about CSU, contact your health care provider.
This training material was created with support from Regeneron and Sanofi.
