HIVES/NETTLERASH

Known medically as urticaria, this is a sudden, localized collection of fluid in the skin that produces a collection of itchy weals. It may be a short-term or long-term problem, it may be localized or affect fairly large areas of skin. It can occur at any age and affect either sex. Urticaria may result from any of the following, it may be an allergy reaction to food or drugs, it may result from stings and bites, it may be a reaction to heat or cold, it may result from an emotional upset. Sometimes there is no obvious cause. Just how urticaria develops is not known, but there is little doubt that the symptoms are produced by the release into the skin, of subsctances which weaken the walls of the capillaries allowing fluid to flow into the tissue.