Hives

My husband has had hives for some time. It began with a reaction to a sulfur drug. We went to an allergist and an MD.Then, to make matters worse- and I am a super neatnick-  we had some guests that we discovered brought bed bugs! Horrors! This caused his hives to get worse. We got exterminators, fumigated, steamed, you name it...several times over. We can now longer find a trace of any, but my husband will still get an occasional welt (hive). Is it possible that this has now become psychosomatic? I have heard that you can have a nerve reaction after such an episode. Any suggestions?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
What your husband seems to be having is chronic hives. The cause of chronic urticaria is often more difficult to identify. Most cases are called chronic idiopathic urticaria, which means they're caused by the body's unexplainable development of antibodies to itself (auto-antibodies).
Chronic urticaria is often accompanied by coexistent physical urticaria, triggered by environmental exposure to heat, cold, sunlight, vibration, pressure on the skin or even exercise. 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. Your husband needs a complete comprehensive profile of investigations for which I would suggest an allergist’s and a physician’s consultation.
Hope it helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing. Warm regards.