TempTest®: un instrumento de precisión en las urticarias físicas.

Abstract

Background: TempTest® is a new method based on the Peltier effect, which is validated for the diagnosis of patients with cold urticaria or heat urticaria, and it is able to measure the temperature variations and activity of these pathologies.

Objective: To analyze the results of provocation tests by using this new method in patients with UFr and UCal, who were followed in a center of reference and excellence for urticaria (GA2LEN UCARE) in Rio de Janeiro.

Methods: The medical records of 12 patients who had a history of UFr or UCal and were tested with TempTest® during December 2017 and February 2020 were analyzed. For temperature provocation tests, the patients were requested to place their forearm on the TempTest® thermal element for five minutes. A positive response was defined by the appearance of a 2-mm-papular lesion 10 minutes after the provocation test was started, as recommended.

Results: 10 of the patients were women and 2 of them were men, from 13 to 77 years of age (mean = 50.2 years). Among the twelve patients, three of them had heat urticaria and nine of them had cold urticaria. The patients who were diagnosed with heat urticaria tested positive for The patients with cold urticarial tested positive for temperatures of 27 °C or lower.

Conclusions: TempTest® is a reliable instrument to accurately diagnose and monitor diseases related to temperature variations, which is a factor that should be determined whenever possible since it can help patients prevent situations of exposure and danger.