Question on Hives

Hi,

Five days ago, I was having a seafood meal on a boattrip, with muscles, shrimps, squid etc. all on being consumed. That evening, I had an outbreak of itchy hives erupt across my skin. I thought that they would disappear by  the next day, and by noon the next day they were gone.

However, from then untill now (5 days after) I am getting outbreaks of red rashes across my skin, which don't itch at all nor are they raised welts, they are just like red spots.

I have been taking Loratadine once a day from the day the hives first appeared until now.

My question is basically, how long will these outbreaks last for? When I wake up in the morning there are none, and then steadily throughout the day more and more appear across my back, chest and arms.

I included a photo of what they look like.

Many thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
These look like hives and sometimes hives can persist for many days. Hives (medically known as urticaria) are red, itchy, raised areas of skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. They have a tendency to change size rapidly and to move around, disappearing in one place and reappearing in other places, often in a matter of hours.
The mainstay of treatment of hives is antihistamine which may be necessary for prolonged periods. You can take antihistaminics like Benadryl ( may cause drowsiness) or Loratidine. Also apply calamine lotion on the rashes. Short courses of oral cortisone or steroids are taken for short periods (one to three days) to settle more severe symptoms.
You may take Vitamin C along with the prescribed treatment. Vitamin C is a general anti-allergy supplement. It helps stabilize mast cells so they are less likely to release histamine.
If the symptoms persist then please consult a dermatologist.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.