Hives
: A raised, itchy area of skin that is usually a sign of an allergic reaction. It can be rounded or flat-topped but is always elevated above the surrounding skin. It reflects circumscribed dermal edema (local swelling of the skin). The hives are usually well circumscribed but may be coalescent and will blanch with pressure. They typically last less than 4 hours but they may stay for days or weeks. Approximately 20% of the population has experienced a bout of hives. The hives are also called urticaria.
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hives 'hīvz n pl but sing or pl in constr an allergic disorder marked by raised edematous red patches of skin or mucous membrane and usu. by intense itching and caused by contact with a specific precipitating factor (as a food,
drug, or inhalant) either externally or internally
called also urticaria
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n.
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(hīvz) urticaria.
Medical dictionary.
2011.