Formaldehyde-induced urticarial vasculitis

Authors: Pellizzari, Michael; Marshman, Gillian¹

Source: Australasian Journal of Dermatology, Volume 48, Number 3, August 2007 , pp. 174-177(4)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

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Abstract:

SUMMARY

A 40-year-old male medical student presented with urticarial vasculitis secondary to occupational formaldehyde exposure. Serum sickness and delayed pressure urticaria also featured prominently during his illness. Initial symptom control was achieved with oral prednisolone (25 mg/day tapered to zero over 2 weeks) and oral antihistamine therapy (fexofenadine 180 mg once daily, promethazine 20 mg once daily, ranitidine 150 mg twice daily); however, subsequent exposures to formaldehyde produced transient symptom flares that broke through the prednisolone cover. A complete recovery occurred only after strict elimination of all exposure to formaldehyde, both occupationally and in the home environment, was achieved.

Keywords: delayed pressure urticaria; immune complex disease; medical education; occupational exposure; serum sickness

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-0960.2007.00374.x

Affiliations: 1: Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia

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