The latest overview of urticaria

Overview

An edematous mass confined to the surface of the skin and mucous membranes

Wind masses of varying sizes are accompanied by itching, which may be accompanied by angioedema

Can occur at any age, and the incidence is affected by environmental factors

The root of treatment is to remove the cause

Disease definition

Urticaria is mainly manifested as wind masses and (or) angioedema.

The wind mass is a limited central edematous mass raised on the surface of the skin and mucous membranes. It is caused by the expansion of small blood vessels in the skin and mucous membranes and increased permeability due to the activation of mast cells. There are mostly reactive flushes around, which usually disappear within 24 hours, but the rash can recur.

Angioedema is manifested as sudden redness or swelling of the deep skin of the skin, subcutaneous and mucous membranes, pain rather than itching, and slower than the wind mass subsidence. Except for a very small number of concurrent respiratory or other system symptoms, most of them have a good prognosis.

Epidemiology

Incidence

Urticaria is a disease on a global scale. There is no ethnic difference. It can occur at any age, and its incidence is affected by environmental factors.

The prevalence of the general population is 1%-30%, and the prevalence of the Chinese population is about 23%.

Prone crowd

In general, urticaria occurs more frequently in women, and the ratio of female to male in chronic urticaria patients is about 2:1.

Infectious

Urticaria is not an infectious disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms, so it is not infectious.

Type of disease

Combined with medical history and physical examination, urticaria is divided into spontaneous urticaria and induced urticaria.

Spontaneous urticaria

Acute: Spontaneous wind bolus and (or) angioedema onset <6 weeks.

Chronic: spontaneous wind mass and (or) angioedema attack ≥ 6 weeks.

Induced urticaria

Physical urticaria

Including artificial urticaria (skin scratch syndrome), cold contact urticaria (cold urticaria), delayed pressure urticaria, heat contact urticaria (heat urticaria), solar urticaria, vibratory vascular Edema, cholinergic urticaria.

Non-physical urticaria

Such as water-borne urticaria, contact urticaria.

There can be two or more types of urticaria in the same patient, such as chronic spontaneous urticaria combined with artificial urticaria.