title: [Urticaria in children attending allergy services].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is little information on urticaria occurring in children, especially in limited resource countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the demographic and clinical features of urticaria in children living in a developing country.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was done in children from two allergy outpatient clinics were prospectively studied. Clinical data was obtained from the medical history and physical examination. Laboratory evaluations and immediate-type skin tests with food and aeroallergen extracts were done in selected cases. Urticaria subtypes were defined according to current EAACI/GA²LEN/WAO guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and twenty-three subjects were studied, 71 with acute urticaria and 52 with chronic urticaria. In patients with chronic urticaria, but not in those with acute urticaria, there was a significant predominance of girls. Triggers of urticaria were more common in acute than in chronic urticaria. Insects, foods, and drugs were the most common inducers of symptoms in acute urticaria, while urticaria induced by skin pressure was referred more often in chronic urticaria. In patients with acute or chronic urticaria there was a higher involvement of the head, upper and lower limbs. In patients with chronic urticaria, generalized urticaria, angioedema, and wheals on pressure sites were more frequent than in patients with acute urticaria. Spontaneous, papular, drug-induced, and dermographic urticaria were the most common subtypes in both groups of children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In children attending allergy services, acute urticaria was more frequent than the chronic type. Symptom triggers were different in acute than in chronic urticaria. Most common subtypes were spontaneous, papular, drug-induced, and dermographic urticaria.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Alergología e Inmunología Clínica, Clínica El Ávila, 6a. transversal Urb. Altamira, piso 8, consultorio 803, Caracas 1060, Venezuela. sanchezbmario@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Borges
authors.forename: Arnaldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capriles-Hulett
authors.forename: Fernan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Caballero-Fonseca
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: González-Aveledo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014581:Urticaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy
keywords: Angioedema; Childhood; Urticaria