Elevated blood histamine levels and mast cell degranulation in solar urticaria

1 Ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced wealing was studied in four patients with solar urticaria, whose measured action spectra were within the range 300 to 700 nm. 2 Elevated histamine levels were found in blood draining wealed skin in all four patients. 3 Histological and electron microscopial studies of the irradiated skin showed evidence of mast cell degranulation. 4 These findings demonstrate an association between histamine release from mast cells and wealing in solar urticaria, and should encourage evaluation of drugs which suppress histamine release in this disorder.