ABSTRACT
It is unlikely that contact urticaria (CoU) is rare, especially among atopic individuals, but no available figures on its prevalence in the general population are available. The literature mainly consists of case reports or small patient series, dominated by rare causes and severe generalized symptoms. According to our experience, the symptoms of CoU are usually mild, of short duration, and limited to small skin areas. The diagnostic test, an open application test, is rarely performed, because neither patients nor physicians are interested in the mechanisms of these minor symptoms. Thus the probable diagnosis of CoU is seldom recorded in patient files. Patients with a suspected occupational skin disease, in turn, are investigated more thoroughly, at least in some centers. The general knowledge on the epidemiology of CoU is largely based on the statistics of certain countries that register occupational cases of CoU. The only exception are data on natural rubber latex (NRL) allergy, which is also reported in the general population. In occupational settings, CoU is quite common.
