title: EAACI/GA(2)LEN/EDF/WAO guideline: definition, classification and diagnosis of urticaria.
abstract: This guideline, together with its sister guideline on the management of urticaria [Zuberbier T, Asero R, Bindslev-Jensen C, Canonica GW, Church MK, Giménez-Arnau AM et al. EAACI/GA(2)LEN/EDF/WAO Guideline: Management of urticaria. Allergy, 2009; 64:1427-1443] is the result of a consensus reached during a panel discussion at the 3rd International Consensus Meeting on Urticaria, Urticaria 2008, a joint initiative of the Dermatology Section of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the EU-funded network of excellence, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) and the World Allergy Organization (WAO). Urticaria is a frequent disease. The life-time prevalence for any subtype of urticaria is approximately 20%. Chronic spontaneous urticaria and other chronic forms of urticaria do not only cause a decrease in quality of life, but also affect performance at work and school and, as such, are members of the group of severe allergic diseases. This guideline covers the definition and classification of urticaria, taking into account the recent progress in identifying its causes, eliciting factors, and pathomechanisms. In addition, it outlines evidence-based diagnostic approaches for different subtypes of urticaria. The correct management of urticaria, which is of paramount importance for patients, is very complex and is consequently covered in a separate guideline developed during the same consensus meeting. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zuberbier
authors.affiliation: Ambulatorio di Allergologia, Clinica San Carlo, Paderno Dugnano (MI), Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Asero
authors.affiliation: Allergy Centre, Department of Dermatology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bindslev-Jensen
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Respiratory Diseases, DIMI - University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walter Canonica
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Church
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hospital del Mar, IMAS, Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giménez-Arnau
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Centre, Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK.
authors.forename: C E H
authors.initials: CEH
authors.lastname: Grattan
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Hannover Medical University, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Merk
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Internal Diseases, Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rogala
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Immunology Department, Centro Medico-Docente La Trinidad, Caracas, Venezuela.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Borges
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmid-Grendelmeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Hamilton, Canada.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schünemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Staubach
authors.affiliation: Unit of Dermatology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Vena
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Hannover Medical University, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wedi
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurer
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D007223:Infant; D015995:Prevalence; D014581:Urticaria / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens