Spectrum of Diseases for Which Prick Testing and Open (Non-prick) Testing Are Recommended: Patients Who Should Be Investigated

Abstract

The contact urticaria syndrome {(CUS),} first described by Maibach and Johnson, comprises a heterogeneous group of inflammatory reactions that usually appear within minutes after cutaneous or mucosal contact with the eliciting agent and disappear most often within a few hours. The term “syndrome” clearly illustrates the biological and clinical polymorphism of this entity, which may be either localized or generalized and may involve organs other than the skin, such as the respiratory or the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the vascular system, displaying a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild erythema or itching to death. An updated overview of {CUS} has been published recently. The authors emphasize that it still represents a complex problem, waiting for more precise answers related to its pathogenesis. Protein contact dermatitis {(PCD)} can be considered a part of {CUS.} It is described separately (see Sect. 10.2) for didactic (clinically related) reasons.