New Etiology of Cholinergic Urticaria

Cholinergic urticaria (CholU) is characterized by pinpoint-sized, highly pruritic wheals occurring upon sweating. Both direct and indirect theories in the interaction of acetylcholine (ACh) with mast cells have been put forward in the sweating-associated histamine release from mast cells. In the mechanism of indirect involvement of ACh, patients are hypersensitive to sweat antigen(s) and develop wheals in response to sweat substances leaking from the syringeal ducts to the dermis, possibly by obstruction of the ducts. Some patients with CholU exhibit a positive reaction to intradermal injection of their own diluted sweat, representing 'sweat allergy (hypersensitivity)'. Regarding the direct interaction theory between ACh and mast cells, we found that CholU with anhidrosis and hypohidrosis lacks cholinergic receptor M3 (CHRM3) expression in eccrine sweat gland epithelial cells. The expression of CHRM3 is completely absent in the anhidrotic areas and lowly expressed in the hypohidrotic areas. In the hypohidrotic area, where CholU occurs, it is hypothesized that ACh released from nerves cannot be completely trapped by cholinergic receptors of eccrine glands and overflows to the adjacent mast cells, leading to wheals.