How Allergic Reactions Start

No, all allergic reactions do not start with hives. In some cases, a reaction does not involve hives at all.

Different people may show different symptoms of an allergic reaction, even if the reaction is to the same food. For example, milk may casue Suzie to get hives, but it may cause John's lips to swell.

A person may not even have the same symptoms with each reaction. If you've always gotten hives when you had an allergic reaction in the past, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will always get hives when you have a reaction in the future. That is why it's a good idea to know all of the symptoms of an allergic reaction, and to teach your friends how to tell if a reaction could be occuring and what they can do to help.

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