Acute urticaria in children: course of the disease, features of skin microbiome

INTRODUCTION: Quantitative and qualitative changes in the microbiome of the skin affect the emergence and course of allergic diseases, in particular, of acute urticaria. AIM: To investigate the taxonomic composition of the skin microbiota in children with acute urticaria and to study its effect on the course of the disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total, 75 children with diagnosed acute urticaria at the age of 7–-14 years were examined. The average age of children was 10.83 ±0.95, of which 44 (58.7%) were boys, and 31 (41.3%) were girls. The control group consisted of 30 virtually healthy children of the appropriate age, of whom 16 (53.3%) were boys, and 13 (46.7%) were girls. RESULTS: Regardless of the severity of the disease, the examined children suffering from acute urticaria had sensitization in history with a significant prevalence of food sensitization (p < 0.05). The occurrence of a severe episode of acute urticaria is associated with allergens of drug origin in 52.6% of cases and the action of unidentified triggers in 47.4% of cases. In children with acute urticaria, S. epidermidis, S. aureus, bacteria of the genus Peptococcus, and Peptostreptococcus dominated on a non-affected skin area, while for the affected skin area, the Propionibacterium, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, bacteria of the genus Peptococcus, Propionibacterium, and Peptostreptococcus were denoted as dominating. CONCLUSIONS: High frequency of S. aureus detection on affected and non- affected skin areas in children with acute urticaria is a predictor of the disease severity.