Etiology of chronic non-allergic urticaria

Abstract

The chronic non-allergic urticaria /CNU/ is a frequent malady; almost 25% of a given population has suffered incidents of urticaria. Often the causes provoking it remain undiscovered and Urticaria is defined as idiopathic. Besides this form, CNU includes physical Urticaria and urticarial reactions, the secondary causes of which are other somatic disorders (chronic infections, autoimmune diseases, malign processes etc.) The effective treatment of CNU is set after precise etiological clarification. The research includes 122 patients with CNU, tested and viewed as having a somatic disorder, physical outside stimuli provoking the urticaria; as allergic reactions to the usual sensibilizing factors are excluded. With 113 of the patients the etiology of the CNU was clarified: in 55.7% of them the urticaria was connected with other somatic disorders (in 69.1% - chronic infection, and in 26.4% - with autoimmune disease). In 36.8% of the tested patients various forms of physical urticaria were proved (33.3% - cholinergic urticaria, 24.4% - cold urticaria, 15.5% - delayed pressure urticaria, 11.1% - solar urticaria). In 7.3% of the cases the urticaria was diagnosed as idiopathic. The conclusions drawn predetermine the right choice of the respective therapy and prophylactics. Scripta Scientifica Medica 2008; 40(2): 167-169.