It is not uncommon for people to develop hives when having an allergic reaction to something they ate or came in contact with, and it usually goes away within hours.

However, in rare cases, people can live with chronic hives for most of their lives.

Kayla Creighton, 19, has been seeing allergist Dr. Gina Lacuesta ever since she was diagnosed with the rare skin condition chronic idiopathic urticaria over a decade ago.

“Patients will suffer with intermittent hives, itchy areas, blotching, half the patients with it will have swelling as well,” says Lacuesta.

At first, doctors thought the symptoms were linked to a food allergy - a common misdiagnosis.

“There's a definite myth out there that a lot of people, you have hives, that it's allergies – book closed – but it's definitely not way,” says Lacuesta.

She says chronic idiopathic urticaria, also known as CIU, is caused by an underlying autoimmune phenomenon and affects one per cent of the population.

“The peak age for this coming on is 20s, 30s, and 40s, but it can come on at any age – females more than males and nobody really knows why that is,” says Lacuesta.

The disease is more than just physical. Creighton says it affects every aspect of her life, from school to socializing.

“I've developed anxiety and depression because of the disease, because I'm very limited as to what I can do, where I can go. I always have to plan my life around my disease.”

Creighton says she always has to stay close to a hospital.

“This disease is very spontaneous and there is nothing you can do to avoid it, it just happens.”

The condition has even impacted Creighton’s education. The teenager started university, but she was forced to leave after a few months.

“I was so medicated that I actually had to have friends who would walk me back and forth to class because I would forget where I was going and I would sit in the elevator for 10 minutes and not realize that I was in it.”

Lacuesta says the disease can be emotionally stressful for patients, but there has been progress in new research.

“There are good treatments, with very little side effects that people can take advantage of,” says Lacuesta. “I think that there is a sense of relief just knowing what the proper diagnosis is.”

Creighton says the diagnosis has made her feel lonely and isolated at times, but now she's telling her story to raise awareness and help people better understand the disease.

“I'm actually on my own, looking into starting a support group or a patient forum, hopefully within the next couple months, within the Maritimes.”