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The urticaria spectrum: recognition of clinical patterns can help management
Author(s) -
Grattan C. E. H.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
clinical and experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1365-2230
pISSN - 0307-6938
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2004.01494.x
Subject(s) - etiology , medicine , intensive care medicine , psychological intervention , first line , dermatology , presentation (obstetrics) , broad spectrum , pathology , surgery , psychiatry , chemistry , combinatorial chemistry
Summary Urticaria has diverse clinical presentations and causes. The implication of classifying urticaria primarily by clinical presentation rather than aetiology is that management can be focused on specific clinical problems without extensive investigations. Management pathways may involve nonpharmacological measures and drug interventions, which can be grouped into first‐, second‐ and third‐line therapies. Stronger, but potentially more risky, second‐ and third‐line approaches may be justified for patients who do not respond to first‐line therapy with antihistamines even though it may not be possible to define a specific aetiology, such as autoimmune urticaria, with confidence.