The international Urticariaday takes place on 1st October!
Do better!
The contact with stinging nettles is very unpleasant. Immediately, a red and itchy skin rash occurs. From a medical point of view, this is a form of urticaria. At any moment, up to 1% of the population suffers from urticaria without even getting in touch with stinging nettles. The wheals and the intolerable itching appear out of the blue and in many cases daily over months or years. It does not take much imagination to understand how excruciating this disease really is.
World Urticaria Day 2021: Who cares? U care!
Berlin, 21.09.2021 (GA2LEN UCARE Network).
Burning, itching, pain - more than one percent of the world’s population suffers from chronic urticaria (hives) and the number is growing. Unfortunately, this disease still receives too little public attention. The GA²LEN UCARE Network, the Urticaria Network (UNEV) and the German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB) have therefore been initiating World Urticaria Day (UDAY) every year on 1 October since 2014. Together with their worldwide partners, the initiatives raise awareness of the disease with numerous campaigns. Under the slogan "Who cares? U care!", they call on those affected, doctors and interested parties to help shape UDAY. More information is available at www.urticariaday.org.
The goals of the events and offers that take place worldwide within the framework of UDAY, is to bring urticaria out of its shadowy existence, to encourage those affected and those treating it to exchange ideas and to find new solutions together against the disease and its symptoms.
Available everywhere: Online webinars and lectures on urticaria
This year, the focus is on digital initiatives that includes the UCARE video series on urticaria and COVID-19 available on the UDAY YouTube channel => www.youtube.com/channel/UCm8phRMV5JOJ7AQvnrxxQPA), from the 1st of October 2021. An informative urticaria quiz has also been developed by the GA²LEN UCARE Network that will be available in several languages via the => actionbound.com/bound/UDAY2021 (#UDAY2021). Furthermore, the TikTok live event „Everything you ever wanted to know about urticaria – now is the time to ask!” will be held by urticaria specialist Professor Marcus Maurer. The event can be found under the username @letmeaskmydad on October 1st at 8:00pm CEST.
Taking initiative: implementing your own UDAY actions
UDAY is the place where you can start taking action. Everyone is invited to shape the day in their own way and to start their own UDAY projects, such as a self-help group, especially if they have long-lived impact. Every contribution counts and can bring about long-term changes. Initiators can publish their activities directly on the UDAY website under the category "Events" (https://www.urticariaday.org).
Understanding urticaria: When it burns and itches
Cold wind, a hot bath, sweaty sports – many people react to everyday situations with an itchy rash that can be accompanied by swelling. One in four people is affected by urticaria at some point in their lives. In most cases, it heals within a few weeks (acute urticaria), however, in about one percent of the world population, the symptoms last longer and the disease becomes chronic. Chronic urticaria usually breaks out between the ages of 30 and 60, but many younger people are also affected. Women are affected about twice as often as men.[1]
High level of suffering: A heavy burden in everyday life
The sudden onset of intense redness, wheals and/or swellings on the skin considerably limits the quality of life of those affected[2] and has a significant impact on every day and professional activities[3]: Chronic urticaria can also have a negative effect on one’s social life, sleep quality, concentration, and performance, as well as cause psychological suffering.[4]
Confronting the disease: Visit specialised centres
Many sufferers unfortunately shy away from seeking medical treatment for their disease because of shame or previous treatment failures. There are however an increasing number of skin centers specialized in urticaria such as the GA²LEN Urticaria Centers of Reference and Exellence (UCARE) (available at www.ga2len-ucare.com/centers.html ). There has been considerable progress in therapy and treatment of chronic urticaria, the goal is to achieve symptom-free treatment.
About the GA2LEN UCARE Network
The GA²LEN Urticaria Centers of Reference and Excellence Network (GA²LEN UCARE Network) is the biggest and most active global consortium of urticariologists and urticaria centers with the common goal to improve the treatment of urticaria. The focus is on common diagnostic and treatment guidelines, research, education and training activities for physicians and patients, but also on raising public awareness of urticaria. More information is available at www.ga2len-ucare.com.
[Characters including spaces: 4.699]
The attached images are available free of charge for editorial use, provided the following source is cited: Urticariaday.org
Publication free of charge - copy requested (e-mail to Enable JavaScript to view protected content.)
Press contact:
Laura Schwenner - Enable JavaScript to view protected content.Rebekka Locke - Enable JavaScript to view protected content.
GA2LEN UCARE office
Robert-Koch-Platz 7
10115 Berlin, Germany
1Weller, K.et al.(2010). Chronische Urtikaria. Prävalenz, Verlauf, Prognosefaktoren und Folgen.Der Hautarzt, 9 (61), S. 750-757.
2Maurer M, WellerK, Bindslev-Jensen C et al. Allergy 2011; 66:317-330; Staubach P, Eckhardt-Henn A, Dechene Met al. Br J Dermatol 2006; 154:294-298.
3Weller K, Balp MM, Hollis K et al. Studie ASSURE-CSU, Poster „P030“ präsentiert auf demJahreskongress der DDG, 29.04.-02.05.2015, Berlin; Balp MM, Jeffrey V, Jaijun T et al. StudieSOLVE-BOI, Poster präsentiert auf dem World Congress of Dermatology (WCD), 08.06.–13.06.2015, Vancouver, Kanada.
4Weller K, Balp MM, Hollis K et al. Studie ASSURE-CSU, Poster „P030“ präsentiert auf demJahreskongress der DDG, 29.04.-02.05.2015, Berlin.
DOWNLOAD: Press Kit 2021
The diagnosis and treatment of urticaria is a big challenge for patients and doctors, since the disease has a great variety of triggers and reasons. The cause of the disease can be identified for max. 70% of the patients after a complex series of tests. Even if doctors succeed in identifying the cause, a curative therapy is only possible for some patients, e.g. with an antibiotic treatment. All remaining cases require a symptomatic therapy. Although there are effective and well tolerated treatment methods by now, many patients still receive insufficient therapies or therapies with a lot of side effects as for example a long-term treatment with cortisone.
In order to focus more on patients who suffer from urticaria and to raise awareness for the disease and the best possible treatment, the urtikaria network – UNEV and DAAB – Deutscher Allergie- und Asthmabund (German Allergy and Asthma Association) initiate the third urticariaday worldwide on 1st October 2016.
There will be worldwide events for doctors and patients on the topic urticaria. Patients who suffer from urticaria, self-help groups, health-care professionals and everyone, who wants to participate can get information on the website www.urticariaday.org.
You can receive further information (such as interviews with experts or people affected, more detailed texts or advice for everyday life) from our press offices:
- Deutscher Allergie- und Asthmabund e.V. – DAAB (German Allergy and Asthma Association)
Sonja Lämmel Enable JavaScript to view protected content. - Urtikaria Netzwerk (Urticaria Network) – UNEV
Prof. Dr. med Markus Magerl, Enable JavaScript to view protected content.PD Dr. Petra Staubach Enable JavaScript to view protected content.
The DAAB was founded in 1897 and is located in Mönchengladbach. It is the largest and oldest patient organization in the field of allergies, asthma and neurodermitis. There are currently 18,000 members. The main tasks include the care for people suffering from allergy or asthma, consumer protection from dubious allergology offers, press and public relations, lobbying and liaison between different occupational groups in the field of allergology (networking). The DAAB is an independent non-profit organization.
The Urtikaria Network is a platform where patients and doctors can meet each other in order to fight urticaria together. On the website www.urtikaria.net, people suffering from urticaria or those who are interested in the disease can learn valuable facts about the clinical picture, hear the latest news and get in touch with other people affected or with “urticaria” doctors.
GA²LEN, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network, has recently launched a programme for the development, interaction and accreditation of centers of reference and excellence in special areas of allergy embedded in its overall quality management of allergy centres of excellence. The first area chosen is urticaria. Urticaria is a common and debilitating condition and can be a challenge for both patients and treating physicians, especially when chronic. Centers of reference and excellence in urticaria (UCAREs) can help to improve the management of hard to treat conditions such as urticaria. Here, we describe the aims, the requirements and deliverables, the application process, and the audit and accreditation protocol for GA²LEN UCAREs. The main aims of GA²LEN UCAREs are to provide excellence in urticaria management, to increase the knowledge of urticaria by research and education, and to promote the awareness of urticaria by advocacy activities.
