title: Chronic urticaria: what is new, where are we headed.
abstract: Chronic urticaria can be defined as the occurrence of widespread daily or nearly daily wheals for at least 6 weeks, which may be accompanied by angioedema. It is a disease with a considerable impact on patients' quality of life. Furthermore, these patients may undergo extensive laboratory evaluations seeking a cause only to be frustrated when none is found. There is no curative treatment for this disorder and we do not understand the mechanisms that lead to the onset of disease. However, in recent years there have been significant advances in the understanding of some of the molecular mechanisms that cause cutaneous inflammation that is manifest as urticaria and angioedema. In this review we will summarize our recent contributions to this field and try to offer insights regarding future directions for research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Clinica Universitaria, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. mferrerp@unav.es
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000799:Angioedema / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity; D001491:Basophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006636:Histamine Release; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D015289:Leukotrienes / Q000378:metabolism; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000276:immunology; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014581:Urticaria / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; C475664:FCER1A protein, human; C508598:IL4 protein, human; D007106:Immune Sera; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015289:Leukotrienes; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma