Biomaterial Database

Physical urticaria. 2004

John P Dice

Department of Allergy and Immunology, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, 2200 Bergquist Drive, Suite 1, San Antonio, TX 78236, USA. john.dice@lackland.af.mil

Physical urticarias are a unique subgroup of chronic urticaria in which patients develop urticaria secondary to environmental stimuli. Common triggers include exercise, temperature changes, cold, heat, pressure, sunlight, vibration, and water. Systemic symptoms have occurred during severe episodes. Physical urticarias are responsible for approximately 20% to 30% of all cases of chronic urticaria. A basic knowledge of these unusual disorders is important for all healthcare providers. This article covers the following types of physical urticarias: dermatographism, cholinergic urticaria, local heat urticaria, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, vibratory angioedema, solar urticaria, and aquagenic urticaria.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008407	Mast Cells	Granulated cells that are found in almost all tissues, most abundantly in the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. Like the BASOPHILS, mast cells contain large amounts of HISTAMINE and HEPARIN. Unlike basophils, mast cells normally remain in the tissues and do not circulate in the blood. Mast cells, derived from the bone marrow stem cells, are regulated by the STEM CELL FACTOR.	Basophils, Tissue,Basophil, Tissue,Cell, Mast,Cells, Mast,Mast Cell,Tissue Basophil,Tissue Basophils
D010812	Physical Stimulation	Act of eliciting a response from a person or organism through physical contact.	Stimulation, Physical,Physical Stimulations,Stimulations, Physical
D011312	Pressure	A type of stress exerted uniformly in all directions. Its measure is the force exerted per unit area. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Pressures
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013696	Temperature	The property of objects that determines the direction of heat flow when they are placed in direct thermal contact. The temperature is the energy of microscopic motions (vibrational and translational) of the particles of atoms.	Temperatures
D014581	Urticaria	A vascular reaction of the skin characterized by erythema and wheal formation due to localized increase of vascular permeability. The causative mechanism may be allergy, infection, or stress.	Hives,Urticarial Wheals,Urticarial Wheal,Urticarias,Wheal, Urticarial,Wheals, Urticarial
D014732	Vibration	A continuing periodic change in displacement with respect to a fixed reference. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Vibrations
D014867	Water	A clear, odorless, tasteless liquid that is essential for most animal and plant life and is an excellent solvent for many substances. The chemical formula is hydrogen oxide (H2O). (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Hydrogen Oxide