SOURCE: http://www.medicinenet.com/hives/article.htm

Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They range in size from a few millimeters to several inches in diameter. Hives can be round, or they can form rings or large patches. Wheals (welts), red lesions with a red "flare" at the borders, are another manifestation of hives. Hives can occur anywhere on the body, such as the trunk, arms, and legs.

It is estimated that 5% of all people will develop urticaria at some point in their lives. Hives are more common in women than in men. Of those with chronic hives (those lasting six weeks or more), some 80% are idiopathic, the medical term which means that no cause, allergic or otherwise, can be found.

One hallmark of hives is their tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours. Individual hives usually last two to 24 hours. An outbreak that looks impressive, even alarming, first thing in the morning can be completely gone by noon, only to be back in full force later in the day. Very few, if any other skin diseases occur and then resolve so rapidly. Therefore, even if you have no evidence of hives to show the doctor when you get to the office for examination, he or she can often establish the diagnosis based upon the history of your symptoms. Because hives fluctuate so much and so fast, it is helpful to bring along a photograph of what the outbreak looked like at its worst.

Swelling deeper in the skin that may accompany hives is called angioedema. This may be seen on the hands and feet as well as on mucous membranes (with swelling of the lips or eyes that can be as dramatic as it is brief.)

Hives are produced by histamine and other compounds released from cells called mast cells, which are a normal part of skin. Histamine causes fluid to leak from the local blood vessels, leading to swelling in the skin.

Hives are very common. Although they can be annoying, they usually resolve on their own over a period of weeks, and are rarely medically serious. Some hives are caused by allergies to such things as foods, medications, and insect stings, but the large majority of cases are not allergic, and no specific cause for them is ever found. Although patients may find it frustrating not to know what has caused their hives, maneuvers like changing diet, soap, detergent, and makeup are hardly ever helpful in preventing hives and for the most part are not necessary.

Having hives may cause stress, but stress by itself does not cause hives.

In rare cases (some hereditary, others caused by bee stings or drug allergy), urticaria and angioedema are accompanied by shock and difficulty breathing. This is called anaphylaxis. Ordinary hives may be widespread and disturbing to look at, but the vast majority of cases of hives do not lead to life-threatening complications.

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The reason why I posted the above information is because I suffered from Urticaria as soon as I got back from conducting a program in a secondary school here in Selangor. I had extremely difficult time to sleep because of the itchiness. I wasn't able to stop myself from scratching my body as the itchiness was unbearable. 

On the next day (which was yesterday) I went to a specialist hospital in Kajang and consulted the medical officer there. Initially, I didn't know the itchiness was an allergy reaction. It's been 23 years of existence and little did I know I had an allergy. The doc also told me that I have sensitive skin. 

The doc told me that the itchiness was caused by the environment factors such as degrading water quality as well as air pollution. 

For treatment, the doc gave me a jab on the left cheek of my butt! Yup. On my butt! Apart from that the doc also prescribed me with two types of drugs: Prednisolone (5mg) and Cetirizine 2HCL (10mg).

I'm recovering now. The itchiness has lessen and I can sleep well now without having to scratch all over my body.

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