Chronic Urticaria in Children: Clinical Features, Pathogenesis and Diagnostic Evaluation

In this episode of Hope & Histamine: The Paediatric Allergy Podcast, we explore chronic urticaria in children, including its key clinical features, underlying pathogenesis, and practical approach to diagnostic evaluation.Chronic urticaria can be distressing for children and families, often causing recurrent itchy wheals, angioedema, sleep disruption and anxiety about possible triggers. This episode breaks down how chronic urticaria presents, why it happens, and how clinicians can distinguish chronic spontaneous urticaria from inducible forms and other important differential diagnoses.We discuss the role of mast cells, histamine and immune dysregulation, while also addressing common misconceptions around food allergy, infection and extensive allergy testing. The episode highlights a structured, evidence-informed approach to history taking, examination and investigations, with a focus on avoiding unnecessary tests and supporting families with clear explanations.Whether you are a paediatrician, allergy clinician, trainee, GP, nurse, dietitian, pharmacist, parent or caregiver, this episode offers a practical overview of chronic urticaria diagnosis and assessment in children.Sources:Fricke, J., Ávila, G., Keller, T., Weller, K., Lau, S., Maurer, M., Zuberbier, T. and Keil, T. (2020) 'Prevalence of chronic urticaria in children and adults across the globe: Systematic review with meta-analysis', Allergy, 75, pp. 423–432. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.14037.Kolkhir, P., Bonnekoh, H., Metz, M. and Maurer, M. (2024) 'Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Review', JAMA, 332(17), pp. 1464–1477. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.15568.Lang, D.M. (2022) 'Chronic Urticaria', New England Journal of Medicine, 387(9), pp. 824–831. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra2120166. 🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTubeDisclaimer: The information shared in this podcast and on this website is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition. Please don't ignore or delay seeking medical advice based on content from this podcast or website.Buy me a coffee: https://coff.ee/goodlifecreationsSend us Fan MailSupport the showBrought to you by - Goodlife Creations (2026). Music by - Denys Kyshchuk from Pixabay.