[Is chronic recurrent urticaria a psychosomatic disease?].

A random group of 37 patients with chronic recurrent urticaria, 26 female and 11 male, was subjected to multidimensional personality tests (Freiburg personality inventory, FPI, Freiburg aggression test, FAF) whereas, deviating from establishing standards, introversion, nervousness, psychosomatic disturbance were more pronounced in the urticaria group, the following traits in deviation from normal standards were not noted: depression, irritability, sociability, emotional instability, composure. Nevertheless, this group appeared to be less communicative, more inhibited, compliant, and less dominant and aggressive. Neither did they show signs of socially accepted expression of negative and annoyed emotions nor socially desirable signs of assertiveness. A high rate of coincidence with other psychosomatic disorders such as frequent headache (18/37), chronic gastritis (19 of 37) and ulcus duodeni (5 of 37) and migraineous headache (6 of 37) was also found in this group. In all cases explorable latent conflictive situations (frequent ambivalence) and negative childhood experience are further indicative of psychosomatic diseases.