http://arehivescontagious.com - Visit Are Hives Contagious and discover useful information about hives treatment and hives in general. <br />.......................................................................... <br />So, your question is... Are Hives Contagious? <br /> <br />I'll be honest, if I'd never had hives and I saw someone walking towards me scratching like a lunatic, with a face covered in hives, I'd feel that I was fully entitled to ask this person if what they have is contagious or not. Personally, I wouldn't want that person getting too close to me, just in case there was any chance of me catching it too! <br /> <br />Thankfully, I wouldn't have had anything to worry about because hives... is not contagious. <br /> <br />It's a condition that appears as a skin reaction, caused in most part by specific chemicals, released by the body. These chemicals are better known to you and I as histamines. Histamines are usually released by the body as a result of an allergic reaction or, as a result of high stress levels. <br /> <br />However, there are always exceptions to the rule, and these exceptions can be problematic. You see, sometimes, hives can be caused by a bacterial infection, a virus, or possibly even a parasite of some kind. If you take strep for example, a very common bacterial infection that can also cause hives... it’s extremely contagious. <br /> <br />There are also a large number of contagious viruses that can cause hives too, hepatitis is a well known one for example. As for parasites, giardia and pin worms are just two that can also cause hives. <br /> <br />If you've got an illness or some kind of infection that seems to be causing your hives, you need to ask your doctor if its contagious. If it is, you should then ask your doctor for how long, and what you should do to limit the spread to others. There are several contagious conditions which can be really quite serious, so the importance of speaking to your doctor cannot be stressed enough nor can following his advice about how to prevent the spread of a contagious condition. <br /> <br />If you're suffering from a contagious condition your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you, this could be an antibiotic or antiviral drugs, depending on what you have. These medications will target the condition which is also causing your hives, but not the hives themselves. As your condition improves, your hives should start to disappear. <br /> <br />Unfortunately, in most cases the prescribed treatments do nothing to alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms of hives, particularly the incessant itching. You should ask your doctor if it's safe to take treatments such as anti histamines as well as the medication you have had prescribed so you can also get relief from the symptoms of hives too. <br /> <br />In most cases, this shouldn't be a problem but it's always better to get a green light from your doctor before taking any medication other than what he has prescribed for you. <br /> <br />http://arehivescontagious.com
