Flash information
- Lesion
- Oedematous wheal
- Symptom
- Common itching
- Individual duration
- Usually <24 h
- Association
- Possible angioedema
Definition
Urticaria causes itchy superficial wheals; each lesion usually resolves within twenty-four hours.
Examination or reading method
Follow the same lesion over time; assess physical triggers, medicines and angioedema.
Morphological description
Wheals change shape and location; pale centres and red surrounding flares may be subtle.
Causes and diagnostic direction
Urticaria may be spontaneous or inducible; overall persistence beyond six weeks defines chronic disease.
Differential diagnoses
Wheals lasting over twenty-four hours, pain or residual bruising suggest urticarial vasculitis.
Associated findings
With atypical lesions, assess arthralgia, fever and renal, pulmonary or gastrointestinal symptoms.
Red flags
Associated respiratory or systemic involvement changes urgency; persistent lesions with systemic symptoms require assessment.
Pitfalls and limitations
A photograph cannot show transience; absent itching alone does not establish vasculitis.
Take-home message
Individual lesion duration and residual skin changes distinguish typical urticaria from atypical urticarial eruptions.
Sources
Documentary review: 2026-10-12
Media source & rights
- Author
- Psixtras
- Original source
- Psixtras — Hives urticaria.jpg — CC0 1.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AHives_urticaria.jpg
- Licence
- CC0 1.0
- Changes
- Image source/aperçu éditeur converti WebP ; dimensions proportionnelles, aucun recadrage ni retouche médicale, EXIF supprimé. SHA source = octets réellement acquis, pas un original refusé. Dérivé écran proportionnel ≤1280 px, WebP qualité76 ; vignette ≤320 px qualité72. Source acquise et dérivé initial conservés sans modification ; aucune retouche médicale, aucun recadrage.
- Dimensions
- 500 × 667 px
- Check
- 2026-10-11