Javed Anwer, Pervaiz Iqbal, Noor Muhammad Ursani.
Urticaria: a threat to betel consumers.
J Pak Assoc Derma Jan ;14(4):228-31.

Background: Chronic urticaria is a common dermatosis with a multifactorial etiology including ingestants. The incidence of chronic urticaria has doubled during the last decade. Chewing of betel is common in Hyderabad. Objective: To determine the relationship of betel to chronic urticaria as an underlying cause in the local population. Patients and methods: During one year, patients of chronic urticaria at our department were investigated to find out the underlying cause. Results: Out of 2625 total cases of urticaria, 943 (35.9%) were found to be habitual betel nut (supari) and pan (betel leaf) and gutka (betel leaf and lime) chewers. Ninety two of 95 volunteers got relief of their signs and symptoms on abstinence from betel. Eighty five of them reported relapse of the disease rechallenge with the suspicious substance confirming the cause-effect relationship Conclusion: The observations suggest that intake of betel in the form of sweetened supari and pan masala and gutka correlates with chronic urticaria.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com