Urticaria

Who can Urticaria affect? 

Types of Urticaria

We can categorise urticaria based on its duration and triggers. Although in some patients, more than 2 types of urticaria can co-exist.

Here are 3 ways we categorise urticaria:

1. Acute urticaria is defined by spontaneous occurrence of hives or angioedema for 6 weeks or less. The cause of acute urticaria is found in less than 50% of cases. The most common cause of acute urticaria is viral infection (40%), followed by drug reactions (9.2%) and food intolerance (0.9%).
2. Daily or almost daily episodes of hives or angioedema for more than 6 weeks are known as chronic urticaria. There are generally 2 types of chronic urticaria:
• Chronic inducible urticaria which can be brought on by a determined stimulus such as skin pressure, cold, heat or exercise, or
• Chronic spontaneous urticaria where the cause is unknown