CAN EXTREME HEAT CAUSE ALLERGIC REACTIONS?

Heat waves and hot weather can cause several heat-related symptoms and reactions in our bodies. We normally associate hives (also called urticaria) with an allergic reaction, but extreme heat or elevated skin temperature can also cause the body to release the same histamine that causes an allergic reaction like hives. Histamine dilates blood vessels and causes swelling to help your immune system fight invasions. Heat hives (also called cholinergic urticaria) are caused by a rise in body temperature that tells the body to release histamine. Heat hives are more common if you have an allergic reaction to sweat, clogged sweat ducts, or even lack of sweating, which can occur when the body becomes dehydrated from heat exposure.

P.S. A heat rash is not the same as hives caused by heat. Heat rash occurs due to blocked sweat ducts, while heat hives are an allergic reaction to a rise in skin temperature.

Source: healthline.com (Allergy 9-3-23 HT)

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