ABSTRACT
Introduction 588
Symptoms and Signs 588
Epidemiology 588
Mechanisms of Contact Urticaria 589
Nonimmunological Contact Urticaria 589
Immunological Contact Urticaria 590
Site Specificity of Contact Urticaria Reactions 591
Human Experimental Protocols 591
Subject Selection 591
Site Selection 592
Paired Comparison Studies 592
Serial Doses 592
Application Techniques 593
CUS Inhibition 593
Clinical Assessment and Quantitative Methods 594
Visual Scoring of Contact Urticaria 594
Measurement of Erythema 594
Measuring Color 595
Laser-Doppler Blood Flowmetry 595
Measurement of Edema 596
Animal Experimental Protocols 596
NICU 596
ICU 596
Conclusion 597
References 597
INTRODUCTION
Contact urticaria syndrome (CUS) was first defined by Maibach and Johnson (1)
and, since then, numerous reports of contact urticaria to a variety of compounds,
such as foods, preservatives, fragrances, plant and animal products, metals, and
other things, continue to be reported. Therefore, it is important to determine, in
a scientific manner, whether and in what dose a particular substance causes
contact urticaria. Accurate experimental models are required to document
urticaria-inducing properties of a substance; protocols to quantify efficacy of
formulations that putatively inhibit CUS are also proposed. This chapter outlines
current scientific knowledge and approaches to experimental methodology.
