Chronic hives

I have been experiencing chronic hives for a year now. The only thing that will get rid of them is prednisone. My doctor will no longer give me the predisone due to the side effects. Zyrtec doesnt seem to help. I have hives more than not. They appear all over my body, sometimes in large patches. Nothing else notable is occurring other than one swollen lyph node on my neck. I have beento a determatologist who has referred me to another Dr as he seems to have given up. He has done several biopsys and blood work with no answers. I am desperate to end this condition. Any help is appreciated.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
In most of the cases of chronic urticaria, the underlying pathology is idiopathic i.e. it is not linked to any cause. It is essential to rule out the presence of serious illnesses of which recurring hives can be a symptom. Examples are hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, lymphomas, collagen vascular diseases, and cancers of the rectum, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. I feel that you should find out the cause of your chronic urticaria by ruling out the various conditions causing it. For this a physician’s/allergist’s consultation will be the best.
I hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.