[Chronic urticaria and serum iron]

During the year 1974, 111 patients with urticaria were studied in the Department of Dermatology, of the Saint Paul's Hospital (Autonomous University of Barcelona). Among those, 77 had chronic urticaria, of which 22 a had low blood iron values. After iron treatment the urticaria improved or was cured in some of these patients. The remaining cases in which the cause of their hives was unknown were followed for one year. Some systemic causatives for their urticaria may appear on longer follow-up. At the same time, blood levels of salicylates trypsin and alpha-chymotrypsin were checked in 14 patients, with the object of a possible relationship concerning the persistence of the urticaria.