Idiopathic Cold Urticaria: In Vitro Demonstration of Histamine Release upon Challenge of Skin Biopsies

Abstract

WHEN patients with cold-induced urticaria are challenged with a cold stimulus, their exposed areas become pruritic, and hive formation and swelling are evident within a few minutes.1 Investigations regarding the pathogenesis of idiopathic cold urticaria have revealed a number of critical features of the reaction. In virtually all cases studied, histamine1 , 2 and other granule-associated chemotactic factors3 , 4 were released into the circulation when the patient was challenged by having one hand placed in ice water. The sensitivity to cold in some patients (10 per cent in our series) can be passively transferred,5 and this activity can be selectively removed with an . . .