Rashes and hives when in bed - not dust mite allergy

[J'smom]

My 8 year old son develops hives and rashes when he gets in bed.  Our house is "allergy free" - no rugs, curtains, mattresses are in casings, etc.  He's been tested for food and other allergies using both a skin ***** test and blood test. Both came up negative and we plan to have a patch test next.  He takes singulair nightly but still breaks out. We've tried both the rubber and cotton mattress casings. All bedding is 100% cotton. We've tried different beds, sleep locations, bedding fabric and colors,  pajamas, sleep times,  etc. but to no avail. If he gets in bed during the day he breaks out, too.  The hives last about 1 hour and then fade.  Then he doesn't get them until the next time he is in bed.  He has no outbreaks during the day, and is able to wear a variety of clothing.   Our allergist is without suggestion at this point. J was nearly premature but I took turbutaline late in pregnancy to control contractions.  J was a healthy, full term full-weight baby. No problems at all. He is an otherwise healthy, normal, active 8 year old. No family or school problems, etc.

Any advice you could offer would be most appreciated.

Thank you.  

J's mom.

[joe20000000000]

A related discussion, essentially it's human evil. was started.

[mishytoo]

A related discussion, hives was started.

[Bluskys84]

A related discussion, Curious rash just appeared! Help! was started.

[jess1017]

I have th same thing happening to me....when I go to bed, I wake up with hives.  The only problem is that I don't just get it at home.  I've gotten it when I went up north and also at my parents.  But it's never as worse as the hives I get in my own bed.  I have one other theory.  The same day I got my first allergy shot, I got a hive.  I didn't rememeber that though until I had the hives for 3 weeks and decided that maybe it's not just a contact reaction.  Is it possible that the shots triggered my breakout?  I stopped getting them about 3 weeks ago but continue to have hives which seem to be getting worse.  I just started getting them on my face, scalp and hands.  HELP!

[TXMom4Jesus]

I have taken Singulair off and on, and every time I take it for a few days, I break out in hives.

[terrinapoli]

Hi. I noticed that one of the more rare side effects of singulair is hives. Could this be the case?

[xena66]

Hi there.  I know you said you have the casings on the mattresses, but are they the store-bought ones, or did you go to a medical supplier?  The store-bought one's don't work properly.  We invested $200 for our daughters' twin bed and got the lifetime-warrantied, full-protection mattress and pillow casings.  And what a difference that made.  The rubber casings you've tried could also make your son sweat, which could in turn, cause the hives.  

My 9 yr old daughter is extremely hypersensitive (breaks out in hives from many triggers) and also has eczema.  So I know how frustrating reactions can be when you don't know what is causing them.  Good luck!  :-)

[J'smom]

Thanks so much for the prompt reply!  Unfortunately I neglected to stage that these rashes (welts) are quite itchy and are becoming increasingly painful.

[ozark]

maybe he's allergic to the detergent or fabric softener...Tide is one detergent that i'm allergic to....good luck

[Alan Rockoff, MD]

I'm afraid this doesn't remind me of any hive syndromes any more that it does your allergist.  Heat can bring hives in some people, but that would be more likely after baths or showers than bed.  If you haven't tried treating with an antihistamine daily to see whether you can suppress the hives, I'd suggest that.  Has the allergist actually seen them, or are they gone by the time you get there?  It might be useful to either photograph them or bring him in right after inducing their appearance.  I don't think the prematurity or your medical siutation during pregnancy is relevant.

Doesn't sound serious, just perplexing.

Best.

Dr. Rockoff