ABSTRACT
Atopic diseases and contact urticaria (CoU) are both frequent conditions. However, there are very few studies on this topic and the link between atopy and CoU has been rarely investigated. In the present work, we first define atopy, then we review the literature on atopy and urticaria, especially CoU, and finally we focus on the mechanisms by which molecules in contact with the skin could induce urticaria (i.e., a wheal and flare reaction). The main conclusion of this work is that atopy promotes immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated CoU; however, its involvement in nonimmunological CoU is still unknown and remains to be addressed.
