The pathogenesis of urticaria.

The pathogenesis of urticaria cannot be entirely ascribed to any one mechanism although many "etiologic" or initiating factors have been defined over the years. The author presents a general overview of major effector pathways that may lead to urticarial reactions. Emphasis is placed on the role of the mast cell and the various mediators of inflammation as they apply to the pathobiologic events defining the urticarial tissue reaction.