They are itchy, elevated, red blotches of varying size that appear suddenly and disappear mysteriously after hours to days. Marked swelling especially of facial tissues is referred to as angioedema and is often associated with urticaria. Swelling of the lips and tongue may occur immediately after eating a food and may be life-threatening because of airway obstruction. Stephen Gislason MD Foods and drugs are the common causes of hives.
Some patients get hives occasionally only when they ingest a specific food or food additives.
Other get hives as a chronic problem which can go-on for years. The type I version of urticaria tends to occur in acute discrete attacks and may follow the ingestion of specific foods, over-the counter medications, or prescription drugs. Atopic children with eczema and rhinitis are prone to urticaria from food. Hives are associated with high IgE and occur usually as acute food reactions. Hives also occur as a feature of anaphylactic reactions.