A 9-year-old with circumscribed, coalescent, erythematous raised lesions of various sizes; The most common cause of hives is:

A 9-year-old with circumscribed, coalescent, erythematous raised lesions of various sizes; The most common cause of hives is:

• A. Ingestion of foods and food additives
• B. Cold exposure
• C. Sun exposure
• D. Insect bites

Answer: (A)

Urticaria in children is most often triggered by ingestion of foods and food additives. The wheals you see are caused by mast cell degranulation with histamine release in the superficial dermis, leading to transient, pruritic, erythematous-edematous plaques that can coalesce. In kids, acute hives commonly arise after eating common allergenic foods (like milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat) or from additives, with symptoms appearing within minutes to a few hours after exposure. While cold exposure, sun exposure, and insect bites can cause hives, they are less frequent triggers in the pediatric population compared with foods.

Urticaria in children is most often triggered by ingestion of foods and food additives. The wheals you see are caused by mast cell degranulation with histamine release in the superficial dermis, leading to transient, pruritic, erythematous-edematous plaques that can coalesce. In kids, acute hives commonly arise after eating common allergenic foods (like milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat) or from additives, with symptoms appearing within minutes to a few hours after exposure. While cold exposure, sun exposure, and insect bites can cause hives, they are less frequent triggers in the pediatric population compared with foods.