How do I know if I have hives?

  The incidence of urticaria is high, with statistics showing that 15% to 20% of people have had urticaria at least once in their lives. It is known as the number one disease in dermatology. Its main manifestation is the wind mass, which is often referred to as “pimples”, and is divided into acute and chronic depending on the time of its onset. It is often called chronic if it lasts more than six weeks.  Acute urticaria has a rapid onset, with sudden itching of the skin and the appearance of wind clusters of different sizes, often spreading all over the body; the clusters usually last for a few minutes or hours and then gradually disappear, but new rashes appear one after another, one after another. The main self-conscious symptom is intense itching.    Acute urticaria mostly resolves on its own within six weeks, but when the respiratory or digestive tract mucosa is involved, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, similar to acute abdominal symptoms, and in severe cases, palpitations, irritability, nausea, vomiting, and even lowered blood pressure and other anaphylactic shock-like symptoms may occur. It usually occurs suddenly and violently, and can often be life-threatening if not treated in time. It is important to go to the nearest hospital for treatment in a timely manner. Do not take it lightly. Acute urticaria has a rapid onset and can be cured within a few days after treatment or removal of the trigger, and most can find the cause, such as food, drugs, etc.  Chronic urticaria is often referred to as chronic urticaria if it persists for more than 6 weeks. Most of these patients cannot find the cause and are more difficult to treat. In some patients, the disease lasts for months, years or even decades, and the lesions can worsen periodically, seasonally or in specific situations, or they can be constant, day after day. The rash is light and heavy during the day, mostly worsening in the evening or at night, with intense itching, but usually without significant systemic symptoms. In addition, there are some special types of urticaria. Such as: 1. Artificial urticaria: also known as skin scratching, mostly after scratching with the hands or scratching the skin with a blunt instrument, the local appearance of correspondingly shaped stripe-like wind masses, which can subside, and those with symptoms, itching is often a regular attack. Pressure urticaria is similar, often caused by persistent pressure, often occurring in the palmoplantar, buttocks, tied at the waistband, etc., generally lasting 8 to 12 hours to subside.  2, cold urticaria: closely related to the temperature, including acquired and familial two types. Acquired cold urticaria has a positive passive transfer test and ice test. Primary acquired cold urticaria can be seen at any age, occurring suddenly, often when immersed in cold water, contact with icy objects or contact with cold air, the wind masses are mostly seen on exposed areas, and in severe cases, wind masses can occur on other parts of the body, and in severe cases, headache, skin flushing, hypotension, and even fainting and other systemic symptoms similar to histamine shock can occur when swimming or getting wet. Cold urticaria can be secondary to diseases such as cold globulinemia, cold fibrinogenemia, cold hemolysis, macroglobulinemia, syphilis, connective tissue disease and bone marrow malignancy. Temporary cold urticaria can be triggered by drugs such as ashwagandha or infectious diseases such as infectious mononucleosis. Familial cold urticaria begins in infancy and often lasts throughout life. A delayed reaction occurs half an hour to four hours after exposure to cold, with a burning sensation instead of itching, accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, arthralgia, and leukocytosis.  3.Cholinergic urticaria: It mostly develops in youth. It appears in a few minutes after heat, nervousness, emotional excitement and exercise. The rash is a small wind cluster, mostly on the trunk and proximal extremities, accompanied by itching. It may be accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. Occasionally, there are systemic reactions to acetylcholine, such as salivation, headache, slow pulse, narrow pupils and spasmodic abdominal pain, diarrhea and croup. Dizziness may lead to syncope in severe cases. It is usually recurrent and may resolve after several months to years.  4.Peptoid urticaria: Mostly after overeating, and after drinking alcohol, mental excitement, skin flushing, wind mass, with headache, weakness. The duration of the disease is short, lasting only 1 to 2 days.  5, angioedema, also known as giant urticaria, is generally divided into two types: (1) acquired angioedema, manifested as a sudden onset of large temporary edema with indistinct edges, disappearing after a few hours or 24 hours. It occurs in areas with loose subcutaneous tissue, such as the eyelids, lips, external genitalia, and the backs of the hands and feet, and in the throat, where laryngeal edema may occur.  (2) Hereditary angioedema, which often develops before the age of 10, has a family history, and the age of onset varies from family to family, but is almost similar in all individuals in a family. In addition to the skin, the mucous membranes of various target organs can be involved. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract may result in abdominal cramps, vomiting, bloating and watery diarrhea. The upper respiratory tract is infrequently involved, but there is a risk of laryngeal or pharyngeal edema leading to asphyxia. Occasionally, edema can occur in the muscles, bladder, uterus, and lungs. There is also a risk of producing laryngeal edema leading to asphyxia.  In some patients, the onset is associated with light exposure, exposure to water, or the menstrual cycle. Of the several types, acute urticaria needs to be prevented with laryngeal edema or shock. Artificial urticaria is more common. Cold urticaria should be taken care of when swimming to prevent the onset of cold, which can cause dangerous occurrences. Cholinergic urticaria should be treated with care during exercise to prevent anaphylactic shock.