A Clinical Study of Urticaria / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Urticaria is a common disease and a well known reaction pattern of the skin eharacterized by erythema or wheals and edema, that is the results of a local leakage ef plasma, from minute vessels into the connective tissue of the dermis. Seven hundred and sixty cases of urticaria visited to this department from January 1973 to December 1974 were studied clinically in various ways. Patients were classified as acute and chronic urticaria-acute form when the hives have been present for less than 8 weeks and chronic form when the hives lasted longer. In all patients, a detailed history, a complete physical examination, a total and differential leukocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and routine stool examination were performed. Foods were incriminated as the exciting causes of urticaria by history, diet elimination test and ingestion test. An ice cube test was done for corroboration of cold allergy. Cholinergic urticaria, was diagnosed by the appearance of small wheals surrounded by erythema after exercise, emotional disturbances or hot drinks. The diagnosis of urticaria due to drug was based on the history of urticaria following the taking of a certain drug. Infection as the inciting cause was determined by history and physical examination. The results: 1. The incidence of urticaria is 4. 6% to total number of dermatologic patients. 2. Among the 760 urticaria patients, acute cases were 498 which were 2 times more than chronic cases, and female patients were 474 cases that revealed marked high incidences than male patients. 3. The age of the patients ranged from 2 months to 87 years, and the patients between 20 and 39 years occupied more than half of the all patients. 4. Abnormal hematologic findings were more marked in acute form; leukocytosis and neutrophilia were dominate in acute form, and lymphocytosis and eosinophilia were more marked in chronic form. 5. Among the etiologic factors, the bacterial infection was the most frequent which occupied 22. 4% of the all urticaria patients. 6. Seven cases of urticaria due to parasites were clonorchis sinensis, in which I had experienced the complete recovery with the treatment of subcutaneous injection of clonorchis sinensis antigen (1 10,000) 0.01- 0.1ml at the interval of one week. 7. In this study, the inciting or perpetuating causes could not be found in 50.8% of patients-46.2% of acute form and 59.5% of chronic form.