Observation of Peripheral Blood Leukocytes in Patients with Acute Urticaria

Kim, Han Uk; Suh, Jae Il; Ihm, Chull Wan

Abstract

In dermatologic practice, acute urticaria showing leukocytosis and fever suggesting syatemic bacterial infection is often observed. The clinician in dealing with such patients is tempted to use antibiotics in addition to corticosteroids and antihistamines before the patient can be sure that there is no bacterial infection. Authors observed the degree of the leukocytosis with its differential counts in 106 cases of acute urticaria to evaluate what percentages of acute urticaria patients are showing similar data with the changes seen in leukocyte counts of patients of erysipelas, and evaluated the effect of aqtibiotics-administered group with non-administered group of acute urticaria patients. The results were as follows: 1. In 106 acute urticaria patients, 42% showed higher total leukocyte count ( >12, 500/cu mm) than the mean total leukocytes of 20 erysipelas patients(12, 412/cu mm) and 29% showed greater neutrophilia(>70%) than the mean neutrophil differential count of the erysipelas (69.1%). In the cases showing both leukocytosis (>12,500/cu mm) and fever (>37. 5C) there was no difference in the course of treatment between the antibiotics-administered group and non-administered group. 3. The corticosteroid hormone reduced the total WBC count toward normal level generally within a week.