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Review
. 2022 Apr 15:3:840999.
doi: 10.3389/falgy.2022.840999. eCollection 2022.

Acute Urticaria and Anaphylaxis: Differences and Similarities in Clinical Management

Luis Felipe Ensina  1 , Taek Ki Min  2 , Mara Morelo Rocha Félix  3 , Carolina Tavares de Alcântara  4 , Célia Costa  5
Affiliations
Review

Acute Urticaria and Anaphylaxis: Differences and Similarities in Clinical Management

Luis Felipe Ensina et al. Front Allergy. .

Abstract

Acute urticaria is a common condition that presents with wheals and/or angioedema. However, these symptoms are also frequent in anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that should be immediately diagnosed and treated. In both, mast cells play a central role in the physiopathology. Causes and triggers of acute urticaria and anaphylaxis are similar in general, but some peculiarities can be observed. The diagnostic approach may differ, accordingly to the condition, suspicious causes, age groups and regions. Adrenaline is the first-line treatment for anaphylaxis, but not for acute urticaria, where H1-antihistamines are the first choice. In this paper, we review the main aspects, similarities and differences regarding definitions, mechanisms, causes, diagnosis and treatment of acute urticaria and anaphylaxis.

Keywords: anaphylaxis; angioedema; diagnosis; treatment; urticaria.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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