4 year old severe hives

[WorriedMumZZ]

My 4 year old son started to break out in hives yesterday afternoon. They have gotten worse, then calmed down then got even worse again on and off. He is struggling bad with itchy and he is covered and they look so nasty.

111 said to keep an eye and that it’s pointless taking him to UTC or A&E unless breathing issues.

has anyone else’s children had cases like this? Giving piriton and it eases the itchiness for a few hours then it’s back again but doesn’t get rid of there rash.

am I right to wait it out until GP on Monday?

That looks really bad OP poor kid.

We have had that and it was caused by a change in washing liquid/shower gel that contained MI.

Methylisothiazolinone

Worth checking. But I'd be taking him to the GP tomorrow absolutely

Get bicarb and put him in a bicarb bath. You need to put a 1/4 cup of bicarb and warm water (not hot) I have this reaction and it's the only thing that soothes it and stops the itch. Keep giving the antihistamine as per the instructions but any sign of airway issues go straight to A&E don't hesitate. It might be worth doing allergy prick test.

ds had similar when he was around 12ish rash from neck down to his toes (everywhere except face), other than the rash he felt fine. After a few days with no improvement I took him to the GP, they did a blood test which showed nothing (not sure what they were looking for), said just keep an eye on it and they prescribed some cream for the dryness/itching. Think it lasted about 2 weeks then went.

No change of products/diets. Just came, went and never happened again so assumed it was either viral or perhaps an allergy to something (he played out a lot in local fields/woods so could have been a plant/bite).

If he is otherwise ok I personally would wait until GP appointment on Monday. Hope it clears up soon.

This happened to my (then 2 year old) last year. Lasted a day and then disappeared. No idea what caused it, never found out. A few months later my friends kid had similar. It's not happened again to either of them. Assume it was some sort of viral/post-viral thing? Hope your poor DS gets some relief from the itching

You might find that a longer lasting once-a-day antihistamine (cetirizine syrup is widely available) works better for this.

Hives is more often not allergy related, and in children is often a precursor to the signs of a virus.

Obviously be aware of signs of worsening allergic symptoms, just in case, and don't hesitate to call 999 if he has breathing problems or goes floppy or incoherent (both potential signs of anaphylaxis).

Any chance he recently had antibiotics?

Poor kid! I would be taking him to see someone if cetirizine (piriteze) isn't helping.

Thanks everyone. He has had a bad cough lately so maybe viral then! Will be keeping a close eye on him today 😬

Yeah my DD got these. They decided it was post viral in the end. Was always worse when waking up from a sleep. If he is well in himself I would wait and contact the GP tomorrow. Piriton and keep him comfortable in the mean time.
If he is unwell, lethargic and obvs any breathing concerns then A&E

My 7yo DD currently has this, she has no known allergies but has been a bit sniffly and had a cough and the rest of the family have all had some virus in the last week with coughs/sinus issues. They pop up then disappear and seem to be travelling around her whole body. She was covered head to toe. Been giving pirotin and oatmeal baths which does not seem to help much. Day 3 today and are getting less severe but still popping up.

My son had this when he was nearly 2, it covers his whole body. We were given steroids, that didn’t help. They cleared up on their own after about 2 weeks.

Hope he is ok and clears up soon for him.

@WorriedMumZZ my friend used to come out in hives every time she ate anything with MSG in it. Good luck.

With the best will in the world, this looks very similar to my son when he had Erythema Multiforme. That was not pleasant and he was hospitalised so I think perhaps it might be a good idea to get it checked, just in case.

Hey! My 4 year old is having hives come and go for the past 3 days, seems like when his allergy medicine wears off they come right back. Did you ever find out the cause? I’m very worried for my little man.