Adrenergic urticaria and adrenergic pruritus.

We report here on 2 patients with adrenergic urticaria and adrenergic pruritus, respectively. The lesions and features developed during phases of stress and during the attacks were associated with an increase in the plasma concentrations of noradrenalin, adrenalin and prolactin. The dopamine plasma level was elevated only in the case of adrenergic urticaria. The symptoms could be reproduced by intradermal injection of adrenalin and noradrenalin and treated successfully with propanolol, a blocker of beta-adrenergic receptors. Adrenergic urticaria is a rare but distinct entity, which has to be separated from cholinergic urticaria. Adrenergic pruritus seems to be a minor variant of adrenergic urticaria.