Differentiating Acute from Chronic Urticaria (Hives)
Acute Urticaria (Hives)
- Duration of few days to few weeks
- Incidence of 15-20% of population
- Etiology usually detected
- Most cases are mild and never seen by physician
Chronic Urticaria (Hives)
- Duration greater than six weeks
- Ranges from continuous (almost daily) to recurrent (symptom free intervals of days to many weeks)
- Course variable from months to years
- Incidence of up to 3% of population
- Etiology not found in 90-95% of cases = IDIOPATHIC (cause unknown or not determined)
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