URTICARIAL VASCULITIS SYNDROME

Urticarial vasculitis is characterized by chronic relapsing urticarial lesions of the skin which are demonstrated histologically as leucocyt oclastic vasculitis. The disease has a wide spectrum of clinical sympt oms: especially arthritis or arthralgias are very common. Next to the rare primary form, urticarial vasculitis is frequently associated with various internal diseases, in particular with autoimmune diseases lik e systemic lupus erythematosus. Low serum complement which can be meas ured in a large subpopulation of the patients, indicates an elevated r isk for an internal disease. Although a number of different drugs are used to treat the disease, its therapy remains unsatisfactory.