A 26-year-old woman has recurrent pruritic wheals that appear daily and resolve completely. For how long must the condition persist before it is classified as chronic urticaria?
- A More than 6 weeks ✓
- B More than 2 weeks
- C More than 3 months
- D More than 6 months
Correct answer: A. More than 6 weeks
Explanation
Urticaria is called chronic when recurrent wheals, with or without angioedema, persist beyond 6 weeks; episodes shorter than this are classified as acute urticaria. Within chronic disease, continuous daily symptoms are distinguished from episodic/recurrent disease. The 3-month and 6-month cutoffs are distractors borrowed from other dermatological definitions such as chronic plaque psoriasis trial endpoints.
Reference: Rook's Textbook of Dermatology, 9th ed.
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