Urticuria, perhaps more commonly known as hives, is a skin condition caused by allergic reactions to particular substances or foods. Typical symptoms include a rash which appears on the skin with red itchy bumps that cause great discomfort to the patient.

In mild cases of urticuria there is no real need for treatment as the rash generally disappears by itself after a few hours or at most a couple of days. Sometimes stress or specific foods can trigger symptoms, so the quickest remedy is to avoid such contributors in the first instance. Chronic urticaria on the other hand can be much more difficult to treat.

As there are no known effective treatmenst for chronic urticuria, it is difficult for doctors to prescribe an effective remedy. Tests are therefore carried out in an attempt to help determine what triggers the allergic reaction. Given that urticuria is generally considered to be idiopathic research has shown that the most effective step as far as treatment goes is to look at the patients diet. Studies have shown that certain foods are guilty of provoking the onset or outburst of hives, therefore eliminating certain foods that induce urticaria or consuming those that aid relief is a great step towards treating this disease.

It has been proved that foods such as nuts, egg, shellfish, cheese, chocolate, wheat, milk and tomatoes can have an adverse reaction in a patient who is prone to urticuria. Such foods are said to release histamine which triggers an attack of hives. These food types are best avoided altogether if chronic urticuria is at is very worst in a patient.