A cross sectional study on dental infections in chronic urticaria

Abstract

Background: Urticaria is considered to be caused by infections, emotions, and also allergy to common substances in the environment, particularly drugs. The relation of active dental infection to chronic urticaria is sought frequently, yet there are few detailed reports of the incidence and importance of such a relationship. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of dental infection occurring in chronic urticaria patients attending Dermatology, Venerealogy and Leprosy (DVL) OPD at Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done from August 2018 to May 2019 on 100 patients of age group between 16 to 60 years with chronic urticaria attending DVL OPD at Osmania General Hospital, Hyderabad. They have been referred to the dental department and were reviewed to determine the incidence of dental infections. Results: Out of 100 cases, 66 were males and 34 were females. Youngest patient seen was 17 years and the oldest was 60 years. Peak incidence was seen in 31 to 40 years (36 cases of 36%), followed by 21 to 30 years (30 cases of 30%), 41 to 50 years (16 cases of 16%), 51 to 60 years (14 case of 14%) and 16 to 20 years (4 cases of 4%). Evidence of dental infections was found in 42 cases of which 26 cases (18 males, 8 females) were having dental caries, 58 (58%) patients had no evidence of dental infection. Conclusions: Urticaria may be considered to be a pattern of reaction to many different stimuli, as suggested by unpredictable remissions and exacerbations. Many of the dental infections go unnoticed in chronic urticaria, we have found a high prevalence (42%) of these infections in our study.

Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of chronic urticaria among patients attending Dermatology Clinic in a Tertiary Care Hospital

“…The male-to-female ratio was found to be 1:2.6, similarly to other study results [8]. However, in an Indian study on CU, more males (66) were affected than females (34), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.9:1 [12]. The actual reason for the sex difference is unknown yet thought to be due to the involvement of an autoimmune component in the occurrence of urticaria, with women being more susceptible than men to autoimmune diseases [13].…”