ABSTRACT
Urticaria is a common cutaneous vascular reaction pattern caused by diverse and multiple factors. However, an etiologic factor can be established in less than 20% of chronic cases. In this study, 274 patients with urticaria were evaluated in the dermatology clinic of King Fahd Hospital of the University [KFHU] between 1989 and 1992. Saudi nationals predominated; 188 patients were males [68.6%] and 86 were females [31.4%] and the peak incidence of urticaria was in young adults. The incidence of urticaria was 3.79% of dermatological cases. The success rate for identification of etiological factors was 41% in acute urticaria and 14% in chronic urticaria. The etiological categories discovered included allergies, physical factors, infections and miscellaneous systemic factors. In conclusion, causative factors remained elusive in the majority of cases. The identification and removal of the possible causative factors is the most important aspect of management in urticaria. A detailed history and physical examination are in order; however, extensive laboratory investigations are unnecessary
Subject(s)
Dermatology , SkinABSTRACT
We present the morphological features and clinical progression of lipoid proteinosis observed in six patients from a Saudi family. The index case presented with hoarseness and characteristic skin lesions. Some of the patients had photosensitivity with milia and hypertrichosis. The diagnosis of lipoid proteinosis was confirmed by histopathology and by the finding of normal blood porphyrin levels. The condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder, and consanguinity was an important factor. The rarity of this condition and the common occurrence of close-relative intermarriages in Saudi Arabia prompted this report, which we believe is the first and largest family with lipoid proteinosis possessing an established Arabian ancestry