Focal Infections Accompanying Urticaria, a Common Skin Disease

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the most common focal infections in patients with acute and chronic urticaria, and their relationships with age and gender. Methods: A total of 238 patients diagnosed as acute or chronic urticaria were included in the study. After questioning and physical examination in all cases, the patients underwent laboratory and radiological investigations. All patients underwent dental and gynecological evaluation. Results: Of 238 patients, 98 (41.2%) were diagnosed as acute, and 140 (58.8%) as chronic urticaria. One or more focal infections were detected in 61 (62.2%) cases of acute urticaria, and 110 (78.6%) cases of chronic urticaria. The most common focal infections were respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections and dental infections, respectively.Conclusions: The findings of our study show that infection cannot be ignored in etiology of urticaria. Early diagnosis and treatment will be possible for this disease which occurs frequently in the community if the patient’s history is taken carefully, and a thorough physical examination and/or a few simple investigations are performed.