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Occupational Contact Urticaria

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Condensed Handbook of Occupational Dermatology

Abstract

The contact urticaria syndrome (Maibach 1975; Von Krogh 1982; Von Krogh 1981) comprises a variegate group of inflammatory reactions that usually appear in minutes after cutaneous or mucosal contact with the eliciting substance and disappear within a few hours. The clinieal manifestations can be classified according to morphology and severity and may be localized or generalized and may also involve organs other than the skin. Wheal-and-flare at the contact site is the prototype of contact urtiearia, while generalized urtiearia following a local contact is uncommon. In the invisible contact urticaria, only subjective symptoms (itching, tingling, burning) without objective changes or only a mild transient erythema occur. In some patients lesions may evolve to dermatitis (Maibach 1976). Extracutaneous symptoms may occur as apart of a more severe reaction including rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma attack, gastrointestinal symptoms and anaphylaxis.

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Authors
  1. I. Ale
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  2. H. I. Maibach
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Dermatology, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 aA, 00250, Helsinki, Finland

    Lasse Kanerva M.D., Ph.D.

  2. Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Friedrich-Schiller University, Erfurter Str. 35, 07743, Jena, Germany

    Peter Elsner

  3. Department of Occupational Dermatology and the National Institute for Working Life, Karolinska Hospital, 11776, Stockholm, Sweden

    Jan E. Wahlberg M.D., Ph.D.

  4. School of Medicine, University of California, Box 0989, Surge 100, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0989, USA

    Howard I. Maibach M.D.

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© 2004 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Ale, I., Maibach, H.I. (2004). Occupational Contact Urticaria. In: Kanerva, L., Elsner, P., Wahlberg, J.E., Maibach, H.I. (eds) Condensed Handbook of Occupational Dermatology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18556-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18556-4_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44348-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-18556-4

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