The impact of urticaria on the psychosomatic aspects of patient’s functioning
More details
Hide details
1
Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
2
Department of Pneumonology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
3
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Corresponding author
Adam Borek
Katedra i Zakład Epidemiologii, Wydział Nauk Medycznych w Katowicach ŚUM, ul. Medyków 18, 40-752 Katowice
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Urticaria is classified as a skin disease, yet it exerts significant impact on psychological functioning and behavior of patients. It impairs quality of life, disturbs sleep, and increases the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders, all associated with stigmatization and chronic pruritus. Disease-related stress may exacerbate the clinical course through neuroimmunological mechanisms involving interactions between skin cells, mast cells, and neurons. The aim of this review is to present the relationship between urticaria and psychosomatic aspects of patient’s functioning. A narrative literature review was conducted using the PubMed database. The analysis included original research articles, review articles, meta-analyses, and case reports published between 2015 and 2025. The analysis demonstrated a significant association between urticaria, particularly its chronic form, and increased prevalence of mental disorders. Stress plays a dual role, acting both as a factor exacerbating disease severity and as a direct trigger for mast cell degranulation via catecholamine release or cholinergic stimulation in specific subtypes, such as adrenergic and cholinergic urticaria. The clinical picture is frequently compounded by anxiety disorders, phobias, and low self-esteem, although severity of psychological symptoms does not always correlate with severity of skin lesions. Urticaria represents a systemic condition with complex pathogenesis, in which psychological and immunological factors interact and reinforce each other, creating a vicious cycle. Effective clinical management requires a holistic, individualized approach that includes psychological support, improving treatment outcomes, and quality of life.
Use of AI tools statement: The Gemini AI tool was utilized for grammatical correction, and stylistic optimization to ensure the text meets professional and formal communication standards.
REFERENCES (25)
1.
Peck G, Hashim MJ, Shaughnessy C, Muddasani S, Elsayed NA, Fleischer AB Jr. Global epidemiology of urticaria: Increasing burden among children, females and low-income regions. Acta Derm Venereol. 2021;101(4):adv00433. doi: 10.2340/00015555-3796.
2.
Conway AE, Verdi M, Kartha N, Maddukuri C, Anagnostou A, Abrams EM, et al. Allergic Diseases and Mental Health. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024;12(9):2298–2309. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.05.049.
3.
Allmon A, Deane K, Martin KL. Common Skin Rashes in Children. Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(3):211–216.
4.
Fang MM, Nowinski CJ, Lai J, Shaunfield S, Silverberg JI, Rangel SM, et al. Characteristics and impacts of itch in children with inflammatory skin disorders. Br J Dermatol. 2021;184(5):896–904. doi: 10.1111/bjd.19541.
5.
Paller AS, Rangel SM, Chamlin SL, Hajek A, Phan S, Hogeling M, et al. Stigmatization and Mental Health Impact of Chronic Pediatric Skin Disorders. JAMA Dermatol. 2024;160(6):621–630. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2024.0594.
6.
Vivar KL, Kruse L. The impact of pediatric skin disease on self-esteem. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2017;4(1):27–31. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2017.11.002.
7.
Kelly KA, Balogh EA, Kaplan SG, Feldman SR. Skin Disease in Children: Effects on Quality of Life, Stigmatization, Bullying, and Suicide Risk in Pediatric Acne, Atopic Dermatitis, and Psoriasis Patients. Children (Basel). 2021;8(11):1057. doi: 10.3390/children8111057.
8.
Shojaei D, Liu C, Lam J. The presentation of anxiety and depression among children and youth diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa: A review. Pediatr Dermatol. 2023;40(6):983–989. doi: 10.1111/pde.15434.
9.
Hergüner S, Kiliç G, Karakoç S, Tamay Z, Tüzün Ü, Güler N. Levels of depression, anxiety and behavioural problems and frequency of psychiatric disorders in children with chronic idiopathic urticaria. Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(6):1342–1347. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10138.x.
10.
Zhu CK, Benharira N, Prosty C, Gabrielli S, Le M, Netchiporouk E, et al. Assessment of Quality of Life in Children with Chronic Urticaria Using the Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Questionnaire Index: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2026;187(1):51–60. doi: 10.1159/000546466.
11.
Mittal A, Sagi V, Gupta M, Gupta K. Mast cell neural interactions in health and disease. Front Cell Neurosci. 2019;13:110. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00110.
12.
Flores JA, Ramírez-Ponce MP, Montes MÁ, Balseiro-Gómez S, Acosta J, Álvarez De Toledo G, et al. Proteoglycans involved in bidirectional communication between mast cells and hippocampal neurons. J Neuroinflammation. 2019;16(1):107. doi: 10.1186/s12974-019-1504-6.
13.
Magadmi R, Meszaros J, Damanhouri ZA, Seward EP. Secretion of mast cell inflammatory mediators is enhanced by CADM1-dependent adhesion to sensory neurons. Front Cell Neurosci. 2019;13:262. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00262.
14.
Konstantinou GN, Konstantinou GN. Psychological Stress and Chronic Urticaria: A Neuro-immuno-cutaneous Crosstalk. A Systematic Review of the Existing Evidence. Clin Ther. 2020;42(5):771–782. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2020.03.010.
15.
Xiang YK, Türk M, Ojeda IC, Elieh-Ali-Komi D, Salman A, Kocatürk E. Psychological Stress and Urticaria: Pathophysiologic and Therapeutic Updates. Curr Treat Options Allergy. 2024;11(4): 194–210. doi: 10.1007/s40521-024-00375-8.
16.
Steinhoff M, Ahmad F, Pandey A, Datsi A, AlHammadi A, Al-Khawaga S, et al. Neuroimmune communication regulating pruritus in atopic dermatitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2022;149(6):1875–1898. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.03.010.
17.
Vázquez-González D, Carreón-Trujillo S, Alvarez-Arellano L, Abarca-Merlin DM, Domínguez-López P, Salazar-García M, et al. A Potential Role for Neuroinflammation in ADHD. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2023;1411:327–356. doi: 10.1007/978-981-19-7376-5_15.
18.
Hauptman AJ, Ferrafiat V. Neuroinflammatory syndromes in children. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2023;36(2):87–95. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000846.
19.
Troubat R, Barone P, Leman S, Desmidt T, Cressant A, Atanasova B, et al. Neuroinflammation and depression: A review. Eur J Neurosci. 2021;53(1):151–171. doi: 10.1111/ejn.14720.
20.
Guo B, Zhang M, Hao W, Wang Y, Zhang T, Liu C. Neuroinflammation mechanisms of neuromodulation therapies for anxiety and depression. Transl Psychiatry. 2023;13(1):5. doi: 10.1038/s41398-022-02297-y.
21.
Shelley WB, Shelley ED. Adrenergic urticaria: a new form of stress-induced hives. Lancet. 1985;2(8463):1031–1033. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(85)90905-5.
22.
Slater KN, Abu-Zahra A, Kartono F. Adrenergic Urticaria: An Updated Review. Cureus. 2024;16(6):e62171. doi: 10.7759/cureus.62171.
23.
Vadas P, Sinilaite A, Chaim M. Cholinergic Urticaria with Anaphylaxis: An Underrecognized Clinical Entity. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2016;4(2):284–291. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2015.09.021.
24.
Kotera A. General anesthetic management in two patients with an anaphylaxis history cholinergic urticaria. JA Clin Rep. 2023;9(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s40981-023-00640-w.
25.
Fukunaga A, Oda Y, Imamura S, Mizuno M, Fukumoto T, Washio K. Cholinergic Urticaria: Subtype Classification and Clinical Approach. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2023;24(1):41–54. doi: 10.1007/s40257-022-00728-6.