Chronic urticaria (CU) is a persistent immune-mediated skin disease with an incompletely understood pathogenesis. As the largest micro-ecosystem in the human body, the gut microbiota participates in complex metabolic processes and produces a wide range of metabolites. The gut microbiota-metabolism axis plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of CU. Patients with CU commonly exhibit gut dysbiosis, characterized by a reduction in beneficial bacteria and an increase in opportunistic pathogens, accompanied by alterations in key metabolites. These changes may disrupt the intestinal barrier and modulate the function of immune cells such as mast cells and T cells, thereby triggering or aggravating distal cutaneous inflammation and contributing to CU pathophysiology. Certain bacterial taxa and metabolites hold promise as potential biomarkers for CU diagnosis, therapeutic response, and prognosis, while interventions targeting gut microbiota have demonstrated potential in ameliorating CU symptoms. Elucidating the characteristics and mechanistic roles of gut microbiota and metabolism in CU could provide a theoretical basis for developing novel individualized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/physiology* ; Chronic Urticaria/etiology* ; Dysbiosis/complications* ; Mast Cells

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical characteristics of urticaria in children versus adults, and to provide reference for the etiological analysis, disease evaluation, and treatment of urticaria in children.

METHODSThe clinical data of 2 411 patients with urticaria who visited the Department of Dermatology at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2013 to May 2017 were collected to study their socio-demographic characteristics. The clinical characteristics of urticaria were compared between the 68 children and 672 adults of the 740 patients with complete follow-up data.

RESULTSAmong the 411 pediatric patients, 314 (76.4%) had acute urticaria; among the 2 000 adult patients, 896 (44.8%) had chronic spontaneous urticaria. The causes of acute urticaria in children included infection (41%, 16/39). The accompanying symptoms of acute urticaria in children mainly included abdominal pain and diarrhea (44%, 17/39), while those in adults mainly included chest distress and shortness of breath (32%, 11/34). Compared with the adult patients, the pediatric patients had significantly lower chronic urticaria activity scores before and after treatment (P<0.05), a significantly higher rate of response to second-generation antihistamines (82.1% vs 62.2%; P<0.05), and a significantly higher proportion of individuals with a personal and family history of urticaria (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSAcute urticaria is more commonly seen than chronic urticaria in children with urticaria, and the main accompanying symptoms are abdominal pain and diarrhea, which are different from adults with urticaria. Chronic urticaria has a better treatment outcome in children than in adults. The most frequently seen cause of acute urticaria is infection in children. Atopic children may be susceptible to urticaria.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Urticaria ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Young Adult

: Anaphylaxis is a predominantly childhood disease. Most of the literature on anaphylaxis has emerged from Western countries. This study aimed to describe the incidence, triggers and clinical presentation of anaphylaxis among children in Singapore, look for predictors for anaphylaxis with severe outcomes, and study the incidence of biphasic reactions.: We retrospectively reviewed records of children presenting with anaphylaxis to our paediatric emergency department from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2014.: We identified 485 cases of anaphylaxis in 445 patients. Cutaneous symptoms (urticarial/angio-oedema) were the most common across all age groups (481 cases, 99%), followed by respiratory (412, 85%), gastrointestinal (118, 24%) and cardiovascular (35, 7.2%) symptoms. Central nervous system symptoms (drowsiness/ irritability) were rare across all age groups (11, 2.2%). Food was identified as the most common trigger across all age groups (45% to 63%). Seafood was the most common food trigger (57, 25%). A total of 420 (86.6%) children were treated with adrenaline, 451 (93%) received steroids and 411 (85%) received antihistamines. Sixty-three (13%) children fulfilled the criteria of severe anaphylaxis. There was no statistically significant association between severe anaphylaxis and the type of trigger (= 0.851), nor an overall past history of atopy (= 0.428). The only independent predictor for severe anaphylaxis was a previous drug allergy (= 0.016). A very low prevalence of biphasic reactions (0.6% of study population) was noted in our study.: We described the presentation and management of anaphylaxis in the Singapore population. A history of drug allergy is associated with severe presentation. Biphasic reactions are rare in our population.
Adolescent ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; therapeutic use ; Anaphylaxis ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Angioedema ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; epidemiology ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epinephrine ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; complications ; epidemiology ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Histamine Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypotension ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Incidence ; Infant ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seafood ; Severity of Illness Index ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Sympathomimetics ; therapeutic use ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Urticaria ; epidemiology ; etiology ; physiopathology

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disease characterized by the urge to move the legs and sleep disturbances. Similarly, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a dermatological disease characterized by pruritus and sleep disorders. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and severity of RLS in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and to compare the quality of sleep of patients with and without RLS in the CSU group using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. A total of 130 patients with CSU and 100 healthy controls were included in this study. The frequency of RLS, frequency of sleep disturbances, and average score of RLS in patients with CSU were statistically significantly higher than control groups (respectively P = 0.008, P = 0.009, P = 0.004). Subjective sleep quality, sleep latency and habitual sleep efficiency scores in patients with RLS were statistically significantly higher than patients without RLS (respectively P = 0.016, P = 0.007, P = 0.035). We claimed that pruritus of urticaria may decrease the quality of sleep in patients with RLS and it may trigger and worsen the restless legs syndrome. Furthermore, RLS and CSU may share a common etiology.
Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Restless Legs Syndrome/*complications/epidemiology/pathology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sleep Wake Disorders/etiology ; Urticaria/*complications/diagnosis

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphadenitis ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Urticaria ; etiology ; Vitiligo ; etiology

OBJECTIVENeonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID) is not widely recognized in China. This study aimed to investigate the diagnosis and treatment of NOMID.

METHODTo analyze the clinical characteristics and laboratory results including skin biopsy, gene analysis and serum interleukin 1β of a boy admitted to Peking University First Hospital in November of 2013. Reports on NOMID were searched and the clinical and laboratory characteristics of reported cases were summarized.

RESULTThe patient was a 1-year-old boy. He had urticaria since 2 days after birth, and presented with episodes of fever, aseptic meningitis, symptoms of joints, short statue, hearing loss, abnormal fundus findings, and leucocytosis, high level of c-reactive protein (CRP) and abnormal findings of head MRI including ventriculomegaly and white matter dysplasia. Urticaria was confirmed by skin biopsy. Gene analysis showed T1702T/A in exon 4 of NLRP3 gene, which causes Phe568lle. Serum interleukin 1β increased dramatically. The boy was diagnosed as NOMID. He did not respond to antibiotic therapy and anti-allergy therapy. Corticosteroid therapy induced normalization of body temperature, and alleviation of rash, but not improvement in cerebrospinal fluid cell numbers. After searching reports of NOMID at PubMed, and Chinese literature published before November 2013, we summarized cases from 8 reports and reviewed 148 cases. The results showed that fever, urticaria, meningitis and arthropathy are the most common manifestations of NOMID, only 57% (69/122) of patients had mutation of NLRP3.

CONCLUSIONThis is a rare report of NOMID in children in China. Fever, urticaria, aseptic meningitis and persistently high level of CRP are characteristics of NOMID. Gene analysis and serum interleukin-1β detection can aid in diagnosis.

C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; China ; Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Fever ; etiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Interleukin-1beta ; blood ; Joint Diseases ; etiology ; Male ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; etiology ; Mutation ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; Urticaria ; etiology

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and serosal, synovial, or cutaneous inflammation, caused by a dysfunction of pyrin as a result of mutation within the MEFV gene. It occurs mainly among Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations, including Jews, Arabs, and Turks. However, FMF cases have been reported outside the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries in recent years. Although FMF has been relatively rare in Korea until now, proper recognition of FMF might lead to more frequent diagnoses of FMF. We experienced an interesting case, a 31-year-old Korean man who presented with recurrent abdominal pain with fever and urticarial eruption for 10 years. DNA analysis showed complex mutations (p.Leu110Pro, p.Glu148Gln) in the MEFV gene. To date, three cases have been reported, and this case of FMF with skin conditions is the first case in Korea.
Abdominal Pain/*etiology ; Adult ; Base Sequence ; Cytoskeletal Proteins/genetics ; Familial Mediterranean Fever/complications/*diagnosis/genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Recurrence ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Urticaria/*diagnosis

No abstract available.
Acetylcholine/physiology ; Adult ; Cold Temperature/adverse effects ; Exercise ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Urticaria/diagnosis/*etiology/physiopathology

INTRODUCTIONFood-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) is an uncommon and under-recognised syndrome that clinicians may not consider in a patient presenting with anaphylaxis.

CLINICAL PICTUREWe describe here 5 patients aged 9 to 20 years old who presented at a local tertiary hospital over a 2-year period from August 2006 to July 2008. All presented with urticaria, 4 were hypotensive, 2 had angioedema and another 2 had dyspnoea. The symptoms occurred between 15 and 150 minutes (mean, 81) after exercising and consuming various food. All had consumed shellfish. All patients were admitted with the diagnosis of anaphylaxis of undefined aetiology. Diagnosis of FDEIA was only reached upon referral to an allergist.

TREATMENT AND OUTCOMEPatients were treated with standard medicines for anaphylaxis including adrenaline, antihistamines, steroids and fluid flushes. Symptoms resolved in 2 to 3 days with no further episodes. At discharge, patients were prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors and given written anaphylaxis management plans.

CONCLUSIONSMore public awareness and strategies to ensure accurate diagnosis and management of this condition are necessary.

Adolescent ; Anaphylaxis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Angioedema ; etiology ; Animals ; Bronchodilator Agents ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Dyspnea ; etiology ; Epinephrine ; therapeutic use ; Exercise ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Seafood ; adverse effects ; toxicity ; Syndrome ; Urticaria ; etiology ; Vasoconstrictor Agents ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

Urticarial vasculitis is characterized clinically by urticarial skin lesions and histologically by leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis is associated with connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a case of urticarial vasculitis that preceded manifestations of SLE.
Anti-Infective Agents/therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Skin/pathology ; Urticaria/complications/*diagnosis ; Vasculitis, Hypersensitivity/complications/*diagnosis/pathology