Prevalence of cholinergic urticaria among Egyptian students and its effect on quality of life

Abstract

Background Cholinergic urticaria (CholU) is a type of physical urticaria characterized by pinpoint, highly pruritic heat-associated wheals. The prevalence of CholU ranges in different regions of the world between 0.2 and 11%. The prevalence in Egypt has not been studied before.Objective We aimed to study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of CholU among Egyptian students together with assessing the effect of this disease on their quality of life (QOL).Patients and methods A total of 400 Egyptian students (20–28 years of age) were surveyed to assess prevalence of CholU among them. Two questionnaires were used, one to study clinical characteristics of the disease, and the other was the dermatology life quality index to assess the effect of this disease on their QOL. Diagnosis was confirmed by exercise provocation test.Results The overall prevalence of CholU was 7.5% (30 of 400 students), with most of the affected persons being females (73.3%). In 83.3% of the patients, the disease started in their third decade. Exercise was the most exacerbating factor, with tingling/itching without wheals more commonly occurring on the back. A total of 19 (63.3%) patients reported exacerbation in winter and 20 (66.7%) reported decreased sweating. Overall, 11 (36.7%) patients had a family member with similar condition. Regarding the effect on QOL, 10 (33.3%) patients showed extreme large affection and 17 (56.7%) had large affection.Conclusion The study showed a high prevalence of CholU among Egyptian students, and it basically affected their QOL.