Genitourinary infections: a leading cause of chronic urticaria in married females

ABSTRACT

Chronic urticaria [CU] is a common clinical problem in dermatological practice. Characterized by intense itching and fleeting erythematous weals, the condition persists beyond six weeks. It can occur at any age and in both sexes. Many etiological agents may be held responsible, but in a sizeable number of patients it is difficult to reach a definitive cause. It was our clinical impression that CU in married ladies was commonly related to genitourinary tract infections [GUTIs] but no clinical details were available. Therefore we designed this study to work out causes of urticaria in married ladies, and the possible role of GUTIs in this condition. All the married ladies with urticaria of more than 6 weeks were enrolled from outdoor clinics of dermatology, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawal Victoria Hospital and Allama Iqbal Medical college, Jinnah Hospital Lahore, over a period of 18 months. They were thoroughly investigated, managed and findings were recorded. Along with recurrent weals, almost half of the patients had additional symptoms. GUTIs lead to CU in 39 ladies, drugs in 13, scabies in 6, helminthiasis in 3, intrauterine contraceptive device [copper T] in 2, dental caries, chronic hepatitis, amoebiasis and chronic sinusitis 1 patient each. In 36 cases no cause was found for CU and were labelled as idiopathic. It is therefore concluded that GUTIs are an important cause of CU and should be looked for while investigating such a case