Abstract
A clinical analysis of laboratory tests was performed on the patients with urticaria who had been treated at the Department of Dermatology, Nagasaki University to evaluate the etiological factors and any complicated diseases. Ninety-three cases (acute urticaria 36, chronic urticaria 56) were enrolled in this study. The suspected etiological factors included upper respiratory tract infection, followed by other infections, foods, systemic diseases or other factors. An elevated CRP value was the most significant abnormal laboratory factor in both types of urticaria. Positive ANA was higher among the patients with chronic urticaria (44%) than in those with an acute form (25%). However, no patient was complicated with collagen vascular disease according to this observation. In contrast, an abnormal liver function test was demonstrated in only 10% of the patients, which was relatively lower than expected. The underlying allergic diathesis was estimated to be around 30% based on the IgE titer and positive RAST scores. These results suggest that an upper respiratory tract infection and an autoimmnue response are both possible etiolgical factors in the onset of urticaria.
