Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Hives
Signs and symptoms of hives include:
- Raised, red or white welts (wheals, or swellings) of various sizes
- A single welt or group of welts that can cover large areas of skin
- Welts that resolve while new welts erupt, making it seem as if the condition "moves"
- Burning or stinging in the affected area
- Itching, which may be severe
Hives can be either acute or chronic. By definition, acute hives can last from less than a day to up to six weeks, whereas chronic hives last more than six weeks — sometimes occurring for months to years at a time.
Angioedema
Angioedema is similar to hives but occurs deeper in the skin. Signs and symptoms of angioedema include:
- Large, thick, firm welts
- Swelling of the skin
- Blisters (bullae) in areas of severe swelling
- Pain or warmth in the affected areas
- Difficult breathing or swallowing, in severe cases
Angioedema often appears near your eyes or lips, but can also develop on your hands, feet, genitalia or inside your throat. Angioedema and hives can occur separately or at the same time.
Hereditary angioedema is a more serious — yet uncommon — condition that can cause sudden, severe and rapid swelling of your face, arms, legs, hands, feet, genitalia, digestive tract and airway. Signs and symptoms of hereditary angioedema include:
- Sudden and severe swelling of the face, arms, legs, hands, feet, genitalia, digestive tract and airway
- Abdominal cramping as a result of digestive tract swelling
- Difficulty or obstructed breathing due to swelling of the airway
When to see a doctor
Mild hives and angioedema usually aren't life-threatening. You can usually treat mild cases at home.
See your doctor if the hives or angioedema doesn't respond to treatment or if your symptoms continue to appear for more than a couple of days. Seek emergency care if you:
- Feel lightheaded
- Have difficulty breathing
- Feel your throat is swelling
- Urticaria — hives. American Academy of Dermatology. http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/skin_urticaria.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008
- Allergic skin conditions. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/allergicskinconditions.stm. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Habif TP. Urticaria and angioedema. In: Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Inc; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/108133988-3/0/1195/29.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-01319-8..50008-X--cesec5_428. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Bingham CO III. An overview of angioedema. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Bingham CO III. Etiology and diagnosis of urticaria. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Bingham CO III. Treatment of urticaria. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 22, 2008.
- Simmons FER, et al. Anaphylaxis: Rapid recognition and treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 30, 2008.
- Atkinson JP, et al. Pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of hereditary angioedema. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 30, 2008.
