title: [Etiology and clinical course of urticaria in hospitalized children].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data concerning the epidemiology, etiology and clinical course of childhood urticaria are still under discussion.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical presentation of urticaria in hospitalized children and to define its possible etiologies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety eight children (male/female 42/57) aged 0.2-17.6 years, (mean age 8.22±0.55) hospitalized due to urticaria were included in the study. The nature and localization of skin lesions, accompanying diseases and diagnostic test results were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty nine children (70.4%) were diagnosed as having acute, 22 (22.5%) acute recurrent and 7 (7.1%) chronic urticaria. Allergic diseases, family history of atopy and adenoid hypertrophy and/or chronic tonsillitis were present respectively in 10 (10.2%), 28 (28.6%), 21 (21.4%) children. In 32 children (46.3%) with acute urticaria, in 8 (36.3%) with recurrent and in 2 (28.5%) with chronic urticaria skin lesions covered the whole body. Serum C-reactive protein and leukocyte levels in children with acute urticaria were significantly higher compared to children with chronic urticaria (p<0.05). The serum IgE levels, the percentage and absolute count of eosinophils were similar in different forms of urticaria. Probable etiology in 62/69 children with acute urticaria (respiratory tract infections - 43, drugs - 8, lambliosis - 6, food allergy - 2, antiallergy shots - 2, urinary tract infection - 1 child), in 9/22 children with recurrent urticaria (respiratory tract infection - 7, lambliosis - 2 children) and in 3/7 children with chronic urticaria (physical urticaria - 2, urinary tract infection - 1 child) was determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among children with urticaria, the most frequent cause for hospitalization is acute urticaria. The outbreak of hives wheels is usually triggered by upper respiratory tract infection. IgE-related allergy is a rare reason of childhood urticaria. In more than 50% of cases of recurrent and chronic urticaria the etiology was not determined.
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Pediatrii, ul. 3 Maja 13/15, 41-800 Zabrze. machurae@poczta.fm
authors.forename: Edyta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Machura
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jońska-Golus
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Krakowczyk
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kasperska-Zając
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ziora
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D014581:Urticaria / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein