INTRODUCTION The etiology of chronic urticaria is unknown in many cases. In this study, we demonstrated the presence of autoimmune antibodies in patients with chronic urticaria by using of the Autologous Serum Skin Test (ASST). METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study to detect the presence of autologous antibodies in the serum of 38 patients (25 females and 13 males) with idiopathic chro...

Sir, Chronic idiopathic urticaria may be autoimmune in origin (autoimmune urticaria), caused by functional autoantibodies that activate mast cells and basophils through cross linking the high affinity IgE receptor (FcεRIα) to secrete histamine. An incidence of 30% to 50% has been reported by various investigators. While there are no clinical features that distinguish ordinary urticaria from aut...

Chronic urticaria has long been thought to be associated with autoimmune conditions, in particular autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). We detail an unusual case of a 49-year-old patient presenting with urticaria distributed on both shins and hands, with no known associated triggers, and subsequently diagnosed with AITD. The urticaria resolved upon treatment of the AITD. We also summarize the cur...

BACKGROUND Immunoglobulin (Ig) A deficiency is a primary immunodeficiency in which autoimmunity is frequently observed. Thirty to fifty percent of patients with spontaneous chronic urticaria have autoantibodies that are able to cross-link FcεRI on mast cells and basophils. METHODS We investigated whether spontaneous chronic urticaria in patients with IgA deficiency meets the criteria for auto...

BACKGROUND: Chronic urticaria is a debilitating disease that considerably affects health-related quality of life, and the Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire is the only questionnaire specifically designed for its evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life of patients with chronic urticaria, using the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Chronic Urticaria Quality of Lif...

Urticaria, one of the most common dermatological disorders across the globe is characterized by itchy wheels with or without angioedema. The incidence of Urticaria in children is about 0.1% to 6% Chronic Urticaria is defined as a daily occurrence of spontaneous wheals, angioedema, or both for >6 weeks. The etiology of chronic Urticaria is multifactorial in children and it can be explored in 20%...

We appreciated the paper by Levy et al published in this journal in June 2003. A number of the cases of chronic urticaria in children appear to be of unknown aetiology, and experiences such as the one reported by the authors indicate an autoimmune origin. In our opinion the model of association between thyroiditis and chronic urticaria may apply to the association between coeliac disease and ch...

Chronic urticaria is defined as episodic or daily hives lasting for at least 6 weeks and impairs quality of life. Two main subtypes include chronic idiopathic (spontaneous) urticaria and inducible (physical) urticaria, but some patients have urticarial vasculitis. "Autoimmune chronic urticaria" implies the presence of histamine releasing or mast cell activating autoantibodies to IgE or FcϵRI, t...

Patients with autoimmune urticaria show a higher rate of seropositivity for other autoantibodies and often have a history of autoimmune conditions. They also tend to have more severe symptoms and to have a poor response to conventional antihistamine treatment. Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder in which progressive liver injury is thought to be the result of a T-cell-mediat...