Is urticaria (hives) contagious?
Disease description:
Hello, I’ve developed patches of red hives on my body, and my doctor diagnosed it as urticaria (hives). Since I have young children at home, I’d like to ask: Is urticaria contagious?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Huang Lingjuan
Urticaria (hives) on the body is not contagious. Contagiousness is a characteristic of infectious diseases caused by various pathogens; however, urticaria is not an infectious disease. Although infectious factors may be present during the development of urticaria, these factors are not the direct cause of urticaria but rather metabolic byproducts of infectious diseases that can trigger allergic reactions to allergens. The primary direct cause of urticaria is an allergic reaction—specifically, an inflammatory response in the blood vessel walls and abnormal leakage of tissue fluid induced by such an allergic reaction. Therefore, urticaria lacks features of infection.
