Prevalence and risk factors of urticaria among adults in Shenzhen, China: A large-scale cross-sectional study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Although urticaria is a common inflammatory skin disorder that affects up to 20% of the world population at some point during their life, there is a lack of systematic investigation into the impact of both exogenous and endogenous factors on its prevalence. OBJECTIVE To gain a better understanding of the reasons behind the increasing prevalence of urticaria in Shenzhen. METHODS We investigated the prevalence and risk factors of urticaria among residents of Shenzhen using a multistage stratified random sampling method within each monitoring area in 2023. RESULTS The prevalence of urticaria among adults in Shenzhen was 3.18%, with a higher prevalence among females (3.54%) compared to males (2.76%). Additionally, we observed an increasing trend in prevalence with higher levels of education. Age, living district, occupation, and marital status were also found to significantly influence the prevalence of urticaria. Furthermore, a personal medical history and a family history of urticaria were identified as significant risk factors. Interestingly, our study also found that the consumption of certain beverages was associated with the prevalence of urticaria, with females being more affected by the consumption of beverages in general, while males were more affected by the consumption of milk and non-carbonated sugary beverages. Additionally, our study found that the frequency of use of cosmetic and sunscreen products had a significant impact on the prevalence of urticaria among female residents. CONCLUSIONS our study provides important and comprehensive information that can guide prevention efforts and further exploration into the pathogenesis of urticaria. CLINICALTRIAL NA.