What is pressure urticaria?
Pressure urticaria is characterised by the appearance of weals after pressure to the skin. Pressure urticaria may occur immediately after a pressure stimulus or more commonly, in delayed pressure urticaria, after a delay of 4-6 hours. Lesions can be induced by a variety of stimuli including standing, walking, wearing tight clothes or sitting on a hard surface. The condition can occasionally be aggravated by heat, aspirin or menstruation. Pressure urticaria is uncommon but probably not rare. It is a chronic disease with a mean duration of 9 years. The peak age of onset is in the 20’s and 30’s.
