Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

chronic hives

My dad is 54.  He has had hives now for 8 months now.  He had them about 3 years ago for 6 months.  However, this time they are different.  They are more concentrated to one area (knees, elbows, groin, butt cheeks, belly) where as before they came up in various places.  He has been on numerous rounds of steroid packs, zyrtec, hydroxyzine, cyproheptadine, and various others with little or no relief.  The only medications that he takes daily are propanalol and prilosec.  He has cut back on both of these to see if that would help but again no relief.  In the beginning the steroids would help but the hives would come right back.  He also has these spells for a long time now where he wakes up in the middle of the night and can't breathe.  Now he is having some night sweats.  He has been to an allergist and was told he was allergic to so many things but didn't take that very seriously b/c he has never had a problem with all those things in the past.  He is scheduled to see a dermatologist in January.  We really need help.  This is driving my poor father crazy and makes him miserable.  We have two small house dogs for 8 years now....he couldn't have developed an allergy to them could he?
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
One thing, which I've come to suspect, as of yesterday, is "metal allergy". I've had hay fever most of my life and have developed food allergies. When tested, I was allergic to most everything in life.

Most Dr.s probably won't entertain my thoughts, but I believe (and am currently trying to ascertain), my symptoms may be from new metal partial plates, which I got about two years a ago.

I'll report on my finding later.
Helpful - 0
242588 tn?1224271700
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It is often difficult, if not impossible, to determine the cause(s) of urticaria, commonly called hives.  It often takes a great deal of sleuthing by a physician familiar with the disease, usually a board certified allergist.  However hives can sometimes be a sign of underlying, systemic disease, which should be the main focus at this time, given your father’s night sweats and night time awakening with shortness of breath.

Night sweats are seen with tuberculosis, diabetes, and malignant diseases among others.  Like hives, night sweats can also occur without discernible cause.  Awakening at night could be heart or lung disease or laryngospasm due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Your father is a young man and every effort should be made to determine the cause of these symptoms.  If his doctor is a family practitioner, he should seek consultation with an internist.  Your father could now be allergic to the dogs.
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Asthma and Allergy Forum

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out what causes asthma, and how to take control of your symptoms.
Find out if your city is a top "allergy capital."
Find out which foods you should watch out for.
If you’re one of the 35 million Americans who suffer from hay fever, read on for what plants are to blame, where to find them and how to get relief.
Allergist Dr. Lily Pien answers Medhelp users' most pressing allergy-related questions
When you start sniffling and sneezing, you know spring has sprung. Check out these four natural remedies to nix spring allergies.