Pediatric urticaria in the Emergency Department: epidemiological characteristics and predictive factors for its persistence in children
Show more: Authors information and Publication history
Authors Information
1Department of Pediatrics, Pugliese-Ciaccio Hospital of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
2Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
3Department of Pediatric Emergency, S. Orsola Hospital, Bologna, Italy
4Department of Medicine and Surgery, Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children's Hospital, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
5Department of Pediatrics, Meyer Hospital and University of Firenze, Italy
6Department of Pharmacology, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
7Department of Pediatrics, La Sapienza University of Rome, Hospital of Latina, Latina, Italy
History
Published online: 22 February 2021
Accepted: 16 April 2020
Received: 29 February 2020
SUMMARY
Introduction. Acute urticaria (AU) in children is a common clinical manifestation responsible for admission to the emergency department (ED). We aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of AU in children and to identify predictors of both severity and progression. Materials and methods. We evaluated 314 children admitted to the ED with a diagnosis of AU. We analyzed information concerning its onset, duration, severity, possible triggering factors, and the persistence of symptoms after 1, 3, and 6 months. Results. The most common etiological factors were infections (43.9%); in up to 32.4% ofcases, AU was considered as idiopathic. AU was significantly most common in males and pre-school children. At the 6-month follow-up, 9.5% of children presented a persistence of urticaria, mainly those with contact (44.4%) or idiopathic (30.4%) forms. Conclusions. The AU etiology identified by history in the ED may be a significant predictor of persistence after a first attack of AU.
