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Clinical and aetiological aspects in urticaria and angio‐oedema
Author(s) -
Nettis E.,
Pannofino A.,
D'Aprile C.,
Ferrannini A.,
Tursi A.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2003.05169.x
Subject(s) - medicine , etiology , angioedema , dermatology , atopy , family history , allergy , antihistamine , chronic urticaria , surgery , immunology
Summary Background Urticaria is a common disorder that affects as many as 20% of all people at some time during their lifetime. Objectives To analyse the prevalence of various forms of urticaria according to an aetiological and clinical classification, we carried out a 4‐year study in an outpatient clinic. Methods The study was carried out on 562 consecutive patients (178 males and 384 females; mean age 35·4 ± 16), who had been referred to our unit for the study of urticaria and angio‐oedema. Baseline investigations included: the patient's family and personal history of allergy; duration of symptoms, presence of associated symptoms and objective signs of the current episode; clinical, laboratory and instrumental investigations; assessment of response to antihistamine treatment. Results A family history of atopy was present in 35% of patients and a personal history of allergy in 24%. We subdivided urticaria and angio‐oedema into several groups on the basis of their clinical and aetiological aspects. Of the 562 patients, 424 (76%) presented with ordinary urticaria (43 acute urticaria, 311 chronic urticaria, 70 episodic urticaria), 80 (14%) physical urticaria, 49 (9%) angio‐oedema without weals, six (1%) IgE‐mediated contact urticaria and three (0·5%) urticarial vasculitis. In 64 cases (11%) urticaria/angio‐oedema was associated with one or more symptoms. We identified 394 cases (82%) of idiopathic urticaria, 42 (9%) of immunological urticaria, 29 (6%) of non‐immunological urticaria and 17 (3%) of urticaria secondary to infections. Of the treated subjects, 54% showed a good response to treatment with antihistamines. Conclusions Our data provide an overview of urticaria/angio‐oedema in a large series of patients, based on clinical–aetiological aspects, and related to recent diagnostic guidelines.