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Wheals and Eczema: Pathogenic Mechanism in Immediate Contact Reactions

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Contact Urticaria Syndrome

Part of the book series: Updates in Clinical Dermatology ((UCD))

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Abstract

Immediate contact reactions are a heterogeneous group of inflammatory conditions characterized by two main clinical presentations: contact urticaria (CoU) for patients presenting with wheals/angioedema, and protein contact dermatitis (PCD) for patients presenting with predominantly dermatitis/eczema. Generalized lesions or systemic symptoms are feasible also in the contact urticaria syndrome (CUS). This chapter summarizes the most important aspects regarding the mechanisms of these two conditions. Nonimmunological, immunological, and uncertain mechanisms have been proposed as possible pathogenic mechanisms in CoU, and an immunological mechanism involving a combination of type I and type IV allergic skin reactions has been proposed in PCD. Understanding the possible mechanisms will help our approach to the different clinical manifestations and diagnostic procedures performed to confirm the diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Eduardo Rozas-Muñoz & Esther Serra-Baldrich

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  1. Eduardo Rozas-Muñoz
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  2. Esther Serra-Baldrich
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital del Mar - Institut Mar d’Investigacions Mediques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Department of Dermatology, Barcelona, Spain

    Ana M. Giménez-Arnau

  2. Department of Dermatology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

    Howard I. Maibach

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Rozas-Muñoz, E., Serra-Baldrich, E. (2018). Wheals and Eczema: Pathogenic Mechanism in Immediate Contact Reactions. In: Giménez-Arnau, A., Maibach, H. (eds) Contact Urticaria Syndrome. Updates in Clinical Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89764-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89764-6_6

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