Chronic urticaria in children: Expanding the "autoimmune kaleidoscope"

Most cases of chronic urticaria (CU) are considered idiopathic. it has rece ntly been accepted that autoimmunity plays a critical role in the pathogene sis of CU in some of these patients. Although urticaria is common in the pe diatric population, the knowledge regarding CU-associated autoimmunity is v ery limited. We describe the association of CU with a wide spectrum of clinical and labo ratory autoimmune disorders in 2 children and emphasize the concept that CU is another manifestation of the "autoimmune kaleidoscope".