Brief Answer:
They are mostly due to allergic but I will need more information.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to health care magic,

Urticaria is a skin condition with raised, red, itchy bumps. It is also known as hives.

Allergic hives or urticaria could occur as a result of physical touch,pressure, heat,cold,anxiety, exertion etc.

Secondly,it can be true dermatographism occurs as a result of pressure by finger tip or pen or key etc.

Acute urticaria is common (around 20%) among the population has an episode at some time in their life.

Causes are unknown in most of cases but it can be seen in certain infections or drug sensitivities or anti-hypertensive drugs or thyroid abnormalities (antithyroid antibodies),iron or Vit B12 deficiency.

Here,I would like to know some more information ,

1) Since when you are having these hives 'on and off'?
2) Do you take any medications for that or they subside by itself?
3) Is there any particular triggering (allergic) factor for this hives in your knowledge apart from aspirin and NSAID?
4) Are they troublesome?

Kindly get back to me with this answers then I will give my opinion accordingly.

Regards,

Dr.Sandip Kabra

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Brief Answer:
Mostly allergic urticaria or drug induced in your case.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the response.

This recurrent hives/urticaria are likely to be due to some allergic or drug induced in your case but should be evaluated further by routine tests to diagnose the underlying cause so that further management can be planned.

You should go for complete blood count (CBC) with differential counts to look for elevated eosinophills in case of drug reaction and/or parasitic infestations.

Examination of the stool for routine microscopic,ova and parasites may also be done.

Check your thyroid profile (T3,T4 and TSH) whether is under control or not.Elevated TSH may also be responsible for recurrent hives.

Allergic blood testing specific IgE antibody can also be done to identify the allergen-antigen which is causing recurrent urticaria.

Additionally few suggestions below might help you-

Avoidance of mental stress, over-tiredness, alcohol if you take, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and tight-fitting garments.

Psychological stress can also trigger or increase itching in hives.

Take high protein diet rich in rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts & honey and also take vitamin multivitamins A,C,D,E and folic acid which may help to reduce skin peeling and scaling.

Treatment of urticaria is a slow process. It usually takes 4-6 weeks or in some cases even more. Following steps will help :

1) Cetirizine one at night for 7 days when there is hives.
2) Keep a good eye on thing which is causing the allergic reaction. e.g dust, particular food, clothing etc. Once you establish the cause then avoid it for at least 4-6 weeks.
3) Montelukast one daily for one month.

Research has shown that it decreases the allergic symptoms considerably and thus may reduce the episode of recurrent hives.

You can consult allergist or dermatologist who will know about the investigations and further treatment plan.

Hope this will help and let me know if you have any more doubts.

Regards,

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