Vitamin D provides relief for those with chronic hives, study shows
Vitamin D as an add-on therapy could provide some relief for chronic hives, a condition with no cure and few treatment options, new research indicates. An allergic skin condition, chronic hives create red, itchy welts on the skin and sometimes swelling. They can occur daily and last longer than six weeks, even years. The two-year study looked at the role of over-the-counter vitamin D3 as a supplemental treatment for chronic hives. Over 12 weeks, 38 study participants daily took a triple-drug combination of allergy medications (one prescription and two over-the-counter drugs) and vitamin D3. Researchers found after just one week, the severity of patients' symptoms decreased by 33 percent. For patients that took a stronger dose of vitamin D3, a further 40 percent decrease in severity of their hives was noted.