Streptococcal tonsillitis as a cause of urticaria Tonsillitis and urticaria

• Author(s): Calado, G ; Loureiro, G ; Machado, D ; Tavares, B ; Ribeiro, C ; Pereira, C ; Segorbe-Luís, A
• Date: 2011
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.4/1078
• Origin: Repositório do Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra
• Subject(s): Infecções por Streptococcus; Amigdalite; Urticária
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

BACKGROUND: The primary role of infections in chronic urticaria (CU) is controversial. We hypothesised that streptococcal tonsillitis (ST) could be a primary cause of CU or acute recurrent urticaria (ARU). METHODS: Retrospective study of 14 outpatients observed between January 2000 and December 2009, with CU/ARU and clinical and/or laboratorial suspicion of an aetiopathogenic link with ST. Clinical history, objective examination and laboratorial study were looked for. Three groups were defined: spontaneous resolution of urticaria, resolution after tonsillectomy, and still symptomatic. RESULTS: In these patients, a causal relationship between ST and urticaria is supported by: markers of streptococcal infection, the perception of a clinical relationship between tonsillitis and urticaria, the decrease of urticaria severity with early antibiotherapy to tonsillitis and urticaria resolution after tonsillectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study encourages the investigation of tonsillitis in these otherwise idiopathic patients, especially until young adulthood and even in the absence of any symptoms.