Abstract
BACKGROUND: A vascular reaction of the skin called urticaria is characterized by the temporary emergence of erythematous papules or plaques (wheals) of different sizes that are blanchable and cause excruciating pain that can linger for several hours or even days. Food, medications, bacterial foci, pollen, fungi, dust, worms, physical stimulation, stress, anxiety, insect bites, and more are among the etiological variables that can cause urticaria. The least expensive and most reliable way to identify immunoglobulin E-mediated type 1 allergic reactions, such urticaria, is by skin prick tests (SPTs). The best diagnostic tool for identifying IgE-mediated type I allergic reactions, such as allergic rhinitis, atopic asthma, acute urticaria, food allergies, etc., is the skin prick test (SPT). SPTs are used to determine an individual's susceptibility to allergies and to develop immunotherapy as a therapeutic approach. Atopic dermatitis and urticaria can both be diagnosed with skin prick testing in dermatology. The skin prick test is simple to use, quick, safe, and capable of testing multiple allergens at once.
AIM: In this study, to detect the common allergens and correlate the findings of SPTs with various epidemiological characteristics of urticaria patients.
MATERIAL AND METHOD: This cross-sectional, retrospective descriptive study was carried out in the Department of Dermatology. For this study, a total of 100 urticaria patients were included. Patients from CSU who had visited our institution's dermatological outpatient department were assessed in accordance with the CU evaluation protocol. After that, the following was done to rule out any systemic or autoimmune causes of CU: A full haematogram, an erythrocyte sedimentation rate, an absolute eosinophil count, routine microscopic examinations of the urine and stool, a liver function test, a renal function test, levels of antibodies against the hepatitis C virus and its surface antigen, thyroid autoantibodies, serum IgE, an autologous serum skin test, and clinical tests to rule out spontaneous or physical urticarias were performed.
RESULTS: In our study, we recruited 100 patients, with an equal number of males and females. While the majority of males were susceptible to D. pteronys-sinus alone (30%), the most prevalent allergens in females were Dermato-phagoides-pteronys-sinus (25%) and Ailanthus (25%). Participants' ages ranged from nine to 57 years, with the age group of 31 to 45 years having the highest percentage of patients (41%); the mean age of the patients was 30.92 years. In the 0–15 age group, there were 10 patients (10%), in the 16–30 age group, 37 patients (37%), and in the 46–60 age group, there were 12 patients (12%). 51 patients (51%) tested positive for 1–5 allergens, 33 patients (33%) for 6–10 allergens, 5 patients (5%) for 11–15 allergens, and 11 patients (11%) did not test positive for any allergens.
CONCLUSION: Patients with CU may benefit from elimination therapy, which could help manage their condition and enhance their quality of life. Thus, our results suggest that food, pollen, and mites may be associated with urticaria. This suggests that the SPT may be a useful tool in identifying these allergens and that it can help clinicians manage urticaria by limiting exposure to these allergens and preventing patients from needlessly excluding them from their diets.
KEYWORDS: Diagnosis, Allergy Test, Allergens, SPT and Urticaria.