Also called: Urticaria
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Hives
Hives are red and sometimes itchy bumps on your skin. An allergic reaction to a drug or food usually causes them. Allergic reactions cause your body to release chemicals that can make your skin swell up in hives. People who have other allergies are more likely to get hives than other people. Other causes include infections and stress.
Hives are very common. They usually go away on their own, but if you have a serious case, you might need medicine or a shot. In rare cases, hives can cause a dangerous swelling in your airways, making it hard to breathe - which is a medical emergency.
It sits within Skin, Hair and Nails, Immune System and Symptoms.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Hives
564 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Long-Term Study of Navenibart in Participants With Hereditary AngioedemaAstria Therapeutics, Inc.
- A Study to Investigate Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Barzolvolimab Versus Placebo in Adults With Cold Induced Urticaria and Symptomatic Dermographism Inadequately Controlled by H1-antihistamines (EMBARQ - ColdU and SD)Celldex Therapeutics
- HAELO: A Phase 3 Study to Evaluate NTLA-2002 in Participants With Hereditary Angioedema (HAE)Intellia Therapeutics
- Long-term Efficacy and Safety Extension (LTE) Study of Barzolvolimab in Participants With Chronic Spontaneous UrticariaCelldex Therapeutics
- Treatment of Angioedema Attacks in Pediatric (Ages 2-11) Post-Trial and Naive Patients With HAE With SebetralstatKalVista Pharmaceuticals, Ltd.
- An Outpatient Study of the Efficacy of ARS-2 in Patients With Chronic Spontaneous UrticariaARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Research already completed
- Cause of Unexplained AnaphylaxisNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- A Single-Arm Exploratory Study of NatureU Histra Dissolve on Chronic Urticaria SymptomsOmniSolutions Laboratory Holdings Limited
- Modified Xiao-Feng Powder for Chronic UrticariaProf. Lin Zhixiu
- Screening Protocol for Genetic Diseases of Allergic InflammationNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
- Safety Study in Subjects ≥ 12 Years of Age With Hereditary Angioedema Switching to GaradacimabCSL Behring
- A Study of Lanadelumab in Children With Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) in Multiple CountriesTakeda
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Hives (Urticaria)Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
- Hives (Urticaria)VisualDX
- Hives and AngioedemaMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Related Issues
- Allergic Skin ConditionsAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
- Medications and Drug Allergic ReactionsAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
- Sun AllergyMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Genetics
- PLCG2-associated antibody deficiency and immune dysregulation: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
- Vibratory urticaria: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: UrticariaNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Urticaria. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Hives, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.