Demet Kartal

By Murat Borlu, Salih Levent Cinar and Demet Kartal

Urticaria is a common mast cell‐driven disease which is characterized by red, itchy swellings. Urticaria, that persists more than 6 weeks in a repetitive manner (each lesion disappearing in <24 h), is called chronic urticaria. Chronic urticaria can be either spontaneous without the need of a trigger, or inducible in which with a known trigger the lesions can be provoked. Chronic inducible urticarias include the physical urticarias and some other forms such as cholinergic urticaria.

Part of the book: Urticaria and Angioedema

By Murat Borlu, Salih Levent Cinar and Demet Kartal

Physical urticaria (PU) is a subgroup of acquired, chronic inducible urticaria which is associated with a known physical trigger. In PU, the symptoms are induced by exogenous physical triggers, such as friction, pressure, vibration, cold, heat, or solar radiation. All the PUs may manifest with both wheals and angioedema at the sites of the triggers with the exceptions that urticaria factitia (UF) (symptomatic dermatographism) presents with wheals only and pressure urticaria presents with angioedema only. More than one form of physically induced urticarias can be present in one patient.

Part of the book: Urticaria and Angioedema

By Salih Levent Cinar, Demet Kartal and Murat Borlu

Dermatitis herpetiformis is an autoimmune skin disease, which is strongly related to coeliac disease. Moreover, some authors accept it as the skin manifestation of coeliac disease. It is a chronic, recurrent disease with polymorphic skin eruptions and pruritus. Dermatitis herpetiformis is a disease of the young adults mostly, but can be seen at any age. It is characterized by papules, vesicles, excoriations, and urticarial plaques clinically. Histopathological examination reveals subepidermal separation, and with this finding, it needs to be differentiated from linear IgA bullous dermatitis and bullous pemphigoid. In this case, direct immunofluorescence is helpful. Granular deposition of IgA is pathognomonic for dermatitis herpetiformis. Dermatitis herpetiformis can accompany other autoimmune disorders such as type I diabetes mellitus, thyroid diseases, vitiligo, and collagen tissue diseases. Dermatitis herpetiformis is, usually, successfully treated with dapsone and gluten-free diet.

Part of the book: Autoimmune Bullous Diseases