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. 2025 Jul;15(7):e70083.
doi: 10.1002/clt2.70083.

Physical Exercise Improves Symptomatic Dermographism

Ragıp Ertaş  1 , Muhammed Burak Yücel  1 , Murat Türk  2 , Şule Ketenci Ertaş  3 , Emek Kocatürk  4   5   6 , Melba Muñoz  5   6
Affiliations

Physical Exercise Improves Symptomatic Dermographism

Ragıp Ertaş et al. Clin Transl Allergy. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Short-term exercise may reduce disease activity in symptomatic dermographism (SD), but its prevalence and short- and long-term effects remain unclear and understudied. This study aims to assess the impact of both short-term and regular long-term exercise programs on disease activity in patients with SD.

Methods: We performed a short-term exercise test to assess the disease activity and the critical friction threshold (CFT) using the FricTest before (SDE1) and 10 min after (SDE2) this test on 34 SD patients. Afterward, we asked the patients to carry on a 1-month regular long-term exercise program according to the World Health Organization's physical activity recommendations. At the end of this 1-month period, we performed the short-term exercise test using the FricTest before (SDE3) and 10 min after (SDE4) the exercise test.

Results: Before a 1-month regular exercise program, 32 of 34 patients (94.1%) showed a reduction in the critical friction threshold after the short-term exercise test (SDE1; 1.95 ± 0.88 vs. SDE2; 0.81 ± 0.86). After a 1-month regular exercise program, 29 of 34 patients (85%) showed a reduction in SD symptoms with short-term exercise test and the FricTest scores were significantly decreased (SDE3; 1.57 ± 0.80 vs. SDE4; 1.01 ± 0.83). After the 1-month regular exercise program, a statistically significant increase was seen in the patients' UCT scores and quality of life.

Conclusions: Our findings show that short-term exercise improves SD symptoms, while long-term regular exercise programs reduce disease symptoms and improve UCT scores and quality of life.

Keywords: chronic urticaria; exercise; physical activity; symptomatic dermographism.

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Conflict of interest statement

R.E. was a speaker and/or advisor for Novartis, Abbvie, Jannsen, and Pfizer. M.B.Y. and Ş.K.E. do not have any conflict of interest to report. M.T. is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for AstraZeneca, Chiesi, GSK, Novartis, ROXALL, Vem İlaç. E.K. is/was recently a speaker/consultant for Menarini and Novartis and received research funding from Almirall. M.M. is or recently was a speaker and/or advisor for and/or has received research funding from Celltrion, Jasper Therapeutics, Blueprint, Takeda, Biocryst, Annexon, and Roche outside of the submitted manuscript.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Summary of study protocol. FricTest scores were evaluated at before (SDE1) and 10 min after (SDE2) short‐term exercise, and before (SDE3) and 10 min after (SDE4) short‐term exercise following 1 month long‐term exercise. Additionally, urticaria control test (UCT) and in‐clinic urticaria activity score (UAS) was assessed both before and after the long‐term exercise program.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
General characteristics of the study according to FricTest scores. SDE1: Baseline FricTest score before short‐term exercise. SDE2: Baseline FricTest score after short‐term exercise. SDE3: FricTest score after long‐term regular exercise program and before short‐term exercise. SDE4: FricTest score after long‐term regular exercise program and after short‐term exercise. *Paired t‐Test.
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