Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2004;14(3):214-20.

Epidemiology of urticaria in Spain

P Gaig  1 , M Olona, D Muñoz Lejarazu, M T Caballero, F J Domínguez, S Echechipia, J L García Abujeta, M A Gonzalo, R Lleonart, C Martínez Cócera, A Rodríguez, M Ferrer
Affiliations
  • PMID: 15552715
Comparative Study

Epidemiology of urticaria in Spain

P Gaig et al. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2004.

Abstract

Background: In spite of the frequency of chronic urticaria there are very few epidemiological studies of its prevalence and distribution.

Objective: We wanted to approach the real prevalence of chronic urticaria in a population-based study and to depict demographic distribution and personal perception of the disease. We also wanted to describe the frequency of acute urticaria episodes in the population studied.

Methods: We conducted a population-based study among adults in Spain. We questioned 5003 individuals after calculating a sample size for a maximum variability (conservative approach p=q=0.5).

Results: We found a 0.6% (95% CI: 0.4-0.8) prevalence of chronic urticaria. The prevalence is significantly higher in women than in men with a OR=3.82 (95%CI 1.56-9.37). Chronic urticaria is a self-limited disease, yet in 8.7% of cases chronic urticaria lasts from one to 5 years and in 11.3%, for more than 5 years. The average age of onset is 40 years.

Conclusions: We offer large epidemiology study data on the prevalence of chronic urticaria. The prevalence of chronic urticaria has not yet been defined in an adult population-based study. With this work we offer such data to describe the prevalence and features of this disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types