This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Urticaria

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Urticaria

  • urticaria (also known as hives, nettle rash, or weals) is a vascular reaction of the skin (upper dermis and mucous membranes) marked by transient appearance of slightly elevated patches - wheals - which are red or pale swellings that are often attended by severe itching. Urticaria can be localised or generalised (1)
  • urticaria is also used to define a disease which presents with short-lived itchy weals, angio-oedema or both together (2)
    • urticaria may be caused by many different factors including certain foods, drugs, infection, and emotional stress
  • the British Association of Dermatologists has classified urticaria according to the clinical presentation:
    • ordinary urticaria
      • acute (up to 6 weeks of continuous activity)
      • chronic (6 weeks or more of continuous activity)
      • episodic (acute intermittent or recurrent activity)
    • physical urticarias - repeatedly induced by the same physical stimulant
      • mechanical - delayed pressure urticaria, symptomatic dermographism
      • thermal - cholinergic urticaria, cold contact urticaria
      • other - solar urticaria, aquagenic urticaria
    • angio-oedema without weals
      • idiopathic
      • drug induced
      • C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency
    • contact urticaria - contact with allergens or chemical
    • urticarial vasculitis - defined by vasculitis on skin biopsy
    • autoinflammatory syndromes
      • hereditary
      • acquired (2)
  • two or more types of urticaria can occur at the same time in a patient (1)
  • urticaria is frequently accompanied by angioedema (1)

Click here for images of urticarial rash

Reference:

  • 1. Urticaria and angioedema - an overview. Primary Care Dermatology Society. May 2022.
  • 2. Sabroe RA et al. British Association of Dermatologists guidelines for the management of people with chronic urticaria 2021. British Journal of Dermatology. November 2021. Vol. 186 Issue 3.

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.