Pediatricians' approach to children with acute urticaria

Acute urticaria is a common condition in childhood that concerns both patients and pediatricians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the general approach of pediatricians to children with acute urticaria.

A data collection form consisting of 17 questions was created to evaluate pediatricians' general knowledge and practical approaches about urticaria. This form was distributed at the hospitals where pediatricians and pediatric residents work. The data was recorded in SPSS for Windows v.15 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The frequency (%) was used for descriptive data, while Pearson χ2 and Fisher's Exact tests were used for comparisons between groups. P<0.05 was considered significant. The study was approved by the local ethics committee.

Pediatricians suggest that foods and food additives are the most common etiological factors in the development of urticaria and, therefore, often advise dietary changes. Second-generation antihistamines are preferred for treatment and are administered for about 5-7 days. Pediatric residents were found to prefer parenteral drug administration for the treatment of urticaria. A different generation antihistamine therapy was applied for treatment of patients who did not respond to the initial treatment. It was also determined that patients were referred to allergists when urticaria was accompanied by angioedema or when patients were resistant to conventional treatment.

Pediatricians' knowledge regarding the diagnosis and treatment of urticaria was less extensive than expected. According to the results, there was some confusion among physicians regarding the etiological role of some foods in acute urticaria and the strategies for removal of these foods from the diet during the treatment. Participants' treatment approaches were partially correct and sufficient. In general, there were no differences observed between pediatric residents and pediatricians in terms of the management of patients with urticaria, except the route of administration.