Cholinergic Urticaria Causes and Mechanisms

Introduction to Cholinergic Urticaria

• Cholinergic urticaria is primarily caused by stimuli that trigger sweating, specifically, the release of acetylcholine activates the sweat reflex when core body temperature rises, leading to characteristic small, itchy wheals 1, 2, 3

Primary Triggering Mechanism

• The British Association of Dermatologists classifies cholinergic urticaria as a thermal physical urticaria, but emphasizes a critical distinction: it is primarily induced by the stimulus for sweating rather than overheating per se, even though the usual reason for sweating is a raised core temperature 1, 2, 3