Is Urticaria diagnosis a very complex process?

Just like diagnosis for any other disease, urticaria diagnosis can formulate a course of action for your treatment.

There are many different symptoms of urticaria diagnosis, however, clinical diagnosis is usually made by a close examination of the skin eruptions.

After it has been observed and experienced once, the patient himself can recognize urticaria. The precise diagnosis in terms of its causes and triggers is made after a careful, systematic case-history, by the dermatologist. The patient has to cooperate and provide proper information and also eliminate certain food products .

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There are many different clear-cut symptoms for urticaria diagnosis; however, clinical diagnosis is usually made by close examination of the skin eruptions. After it is has been observed and experienced once, the patient can recognize urticaria. The precise urticaria diagnosis in terms of its causes and triggers is made after a careful, systematic case history is taken by the dermatologist. The patient needs to provide accurate information and may need to eliminate certain allergens, including food products once suspected. However, in the case ofpruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, the patient has to be extra careful and diagnosis should be made as soon as possible.

In most cases, because of the heterogeneity of urticaria and its different types, guidelines for diagnosis might start with a regular patient health checkup, which should comprise a thorough history, physical examination of the skin, and the ruling out of severe systemic disease utilizing various laboratory tests. Such laboratory tests should be performed based on the suspected cause. During the process of urticaria diagnoses, the most important objective is to obtain a comprehensive history, including all possible eliciting factors and significant aspects of the nature of the urticaria. The following factors are to be kept in mind when diagnosing urticaria:

  • Occurring frequency and duration of welts or wheals
  • Timing of onset of disease
  • Family history regarding urticaria
  • Size, shape, color and distribution of the welts
  • Any reaction to insect bites such as a wasp sting
  • Associated angioedema, if any
  • Other associated symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, itching, or pain
  • Any previous or current infections, allergies, or internal diseases
  • Any physical agent, such as exercise
  • Any drug that the patient takes regularly, including injections, immunizations, hormones, laxatives, suppositories, ear and eye drops, etc
  • Food and smoking habits
  • Hobbies and type of routine work
  • Rate of occurrence in relation to foreign travel
  • Surgical implantations
  • Emotional factors and stress