Histological spectrum of cutaneous reactions to aspirin in chronic idiopathic urticaria

  1. Artur Zembowicz1,*,
  2. Lucyna Mastalerz2,
  3. Malgorzata Setkowicz2,
  4. Waldemar Radziszewski3,
  5. Andrzej Szczeklik2

Article first published online: 8 MAR 2004

DOI: 10.1111/j.0303-6987.2004.0195.x

Issue

Journal of Cutaneous Pathology

Journal of Cutaneous Pathology

Volume 31, Issue 4, pages 323–329, April 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Zembowicz, A., Mastalerz, L., Setkowicz, M., Radziszewski, W. and Szczeklik, A. (2004), Histological spectrum of cutaneous reactions to aspirin in chronic idiopathic urticaria. Journal of Cutaneous Pathology, 31: 323–329. doi: 10.1111/j.0303-6987.2004.0195.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA,

  2. 2

    Department of Medicine, Jagellonian University School of Medicine, Cracow, and

  3. 3

    Merck Sharp and Dohme Idea, Warsaw,Poland

* Artur Zembowicz, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Warren 820, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA Tel: +1 617 726 5202 Fax: +1 617 726 8711 e-mail: azembowicz@partners.org

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 8 MAR 2004
  2. Article first published online: 8 MAR 2004
  3. Accepted December 26, 2003

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (1329K)

Background:  During a clinical trial, we obtained 16 biopsies of skin eruptions induced by aspirin in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). In this setting, aspirin triggers skin eruptions through a well-established non-immunological mechanism involving the inhibition of cyclooxygenase type I. This presented the rare opportunity to evaluate histological features of a series of skin eruptions induced by a drug acting through a defined mechanism in a controlled experimantal setting.

Objective:  Histological analysis of 16 biopsies of skin eruptions induced by oral aspirin challenge in patients with CIU.

Design:  Microscopic analysis of tissue sections.

Patients:  16 patients with CIU.

Results:  Aspirin (up to 500 mg) induced a restricted range of histological responses with a classic pattern of urticarial tissue reaction occuring in the majority of (12 of 16) cases. Two biopsies showed an interstitial fibrohistiocytic (granuloma annulare-like) reaction pattern. One case showed only a sparse perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate, and paucicellular dermal mucinosis was observed in one case.

Conclusions:  Polymorphism of histological patterns induced by aspirin suggests that in addition to the drug-specific mechanisms triggering drug eruptions, individual factors also play a role in determining the ultimate histological phenotype of a drug response.

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (1329K)