Spontaneous hives, or itchy wheals such as mosquito bites that occur spontaneously in different parts of the body sometimes associated with swelling around eyes and lips, are rarely as a result of an ingestion of a food – explains Professor Enrico Brunetta, clinical immunologist and allergologist at Humanitas. When hives appear and they are not caused by a known factor, usually the patient tends to attribute the episode to a food allergy and begins to eliminate one food after another in search of the responsible compound. However, in this way, hives will never be correctly diagnosed because hives are not an allergic or immunological disorder. On the other hand, there are different types of hives that are defined as “spontaneous” when they arise for an unknown reason and, as already mentioned, are rarely related to food; They are known as “inducible” when they occur as a result of contact with a physical, chemical or environmental stimulus, such as cold or hot water; The other type are “chronic” hives, the most frequent form, which occurs when the symptoms persist for more than six weeks; Finally, “acute” hives occur when they are manifested as a transitory episode. In order to treat hives properly and effectively, it is necessary to consult a dermatologist.
