Papular Urticaria and Things that Bite in the Night Jeffrey G. Demain, MD, FAAAAI Address external pressure, which might result in slowing of blood Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Center of Alaska, 2741 DeBarr Road, flow, thereby enhancing precipitation of immune complexes C-405, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA. [1]. Papules might also have a more diffuse, generalized dis- E-mail:
[email protected] tribution involving the torso, neck, and face. The distribu- Current Allergy and Asthma Reports 2003, 3:291–303 tion of lesions serves as an important clue in identifying the Current Science Inc. ISSN 1529-7322 Copyright © 2003 by Current Science Inc. culprit arthropod (Table 1). Papules are erythematous, rang- ing from 3 to 10 mm. In the clinical setting, lesions are often excoriated and secondarily infected, contributing to the Whether we are hiking in the back country or playing in our characteristic intense pruritis. Perennial or seasonal exacer- backyard, we run the risk of exposure to offending arthro- bations are common and are presumed to be associated pods. Papular urticaria is a very common hypersensitivity with re-exposure to the offending arthropod. Recurrence of reaction to the bites, stings, and contact with critters such as papular urticaria with re-exposure seems to lessen in adoles- mites, ticks, spiders, fleas, mosquitoes, midges, flies, and even cence and adulthood. This might reflect the development of caterpillars. Children seem to be at greatest risk, although immune tolerance toward the antigenic proteins [2,3] adults are also vulnerable. The classic presentation of papular Arthropods, including mosquitoes, flies, gnats, mites, urticaria includes recurrent pruritic papules or vesicles and ticks, and caterpillars, have been linked to papular urti- varying degrees of local edema.