You may have seen the words “urticaria” and “hives” appear frequently while doing research on skin conditions. What is the difference between these two? Actually, urticaria and hives describe the same skin condition and can be used interchangeably; urticaria is the formal name and hives is the colloquial name.
In terms of appearance, hives causes one’s skin to develop itchy red bumps that may only affect a small area, or it can cover almost the entire body in severe cases. Due to how itchy they can get, sufferers tend to scratch their skin, causing scarring that is hard to remove.
Hives are usually a sign of an allergic reaction, and occurs mostly commonly on one’s face and trunk. Sometimes the affected area can be as far as the throat, causing difficulty breathing. Severe cases may require emergency injections of epinephrine (perhaps using an epipen) or corticosteroids may be necessary. To find out more about urticaria, read this article.