Hives Rash

[muddytrainers]

Hello,
I have been suffering with a hives rash for approximately 10years. I get the rash 24hrs after I have fatigued my muscles either playing football or lifting weights at the gym when the stiffness sets in. The rash is the type of rash that you get in Lupus on the face but mainly starts to swell (hives) which then spreads all over my body and continues to swell. Whilst this is happening I have a struggle to breath causing wheezing. My dermatologist has said that I am the only person in the world that has these symptoms which I suppose makes me unique. However at the moment I can't exercise or play football like I use to. My dermatologist has mentioned that I could go on anabolic steroids which I have declined because of the serious side effects and to be honest I don't actually believe that I have urticaria, I believe that I am getting the rash because it is a sign of a reaction to something that is happening to my immune system or my muscles being damaged. Can you give me any advice?

[muddytrainers]

I eat different foods and drink different drinks, after exercise, before exercise or even during exercise. They are all different and I eat all foods which do not cause any reaction.
The anti histamines are useless which makes me think its something else. Is histamine the only thing that causes hives? I don't understand how and why the rash comes up only when I injure or fatigue my muscle. I believe it may be related to my muscles but the Dermotologist has said that he won't refer me because its not that, however he has never come across the symptoms that I have before which to me says its probably not even related to urticaria and it is being caused by an immune system fault, muscle fault.

I am having a full body screening done privately to see if that brings anything up and further tests will be asked for in the near future.

Thanks for the reply

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
From the symptoms it looks like exercise induced urticaria.  In some people, eating certain foods before exercise may make allergic symptoms more likely to occur. Keep track of what you eat before exercising for a few weeks. If you notice a pattern to your symptoms that seems related to a certain food, stop eating it for a while and see if the hives stop. Also, do not exercise for 4 to 6 hours after you eat.

You should stop exercising as soon as you notice the hives. If the hives don't go away in 5 to 10 minutes, or if you have other symptoms, call your doctor right away. It can be Exercise-induced anaphylaxis.

Also wear medical alert jewelry or ID tags describing the condition and sensitive substances and always carry a self-injectable epinephrine kit (Epi pen).
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 dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.