PAU Dermatology Clinic Receives International Urticaria Excellence (UCARE) Certificate
PAU Hospital Dermatology Department was entitled to receive UCARE Certificate as a result of the audit conducted by the International Urticaria Center of Excellence.
Providing information about the content of the certificate, Urticaria Center Responsible Faculty Members Prof. Dr. Nida Kaçar, Head of the Department of Dermatology, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Özge Sevil Kastarlı Bakay made the following statements;
What is urticaria?
Urticaria, popularly known as hives, is a disease characterized by itchy, red, blisters. In some patients, urticaria is accompanied by angioedema characterized by swelling in body areas such as eyelids and lips. While the acute form lasting less than 6 weeks affects 20% of the population, the form lasting longer than 6 weeks is considered chronic urticaria and its frequency is approximately 1%.
How is urticaria diagnosed?
For the diagnosis of urticaria, a detailed history and examination is usually sufficient for the diagnosis. However, especially for chronic inducible urticaria, special tests such as effort test, pressure test and skin prick tests may be needed if allergic reactions are considered in the history. In chronic urticaria, an autologous serum skin test may also be performed to demonstrate autoimmunity.
Is there a treatment for urticaria?
Urticaria is a treatable disease. By following the treatment steps recommended in international guidelines, we can treat our patients and contribute to improving their quality of life.
The Urticaria Center of Reference and Excellence (UCARE) is an international certification network. In order to become a UCARE center, a center must meet many criteria such as the compliance of the urticaria diagnosis, examination and treatment process with world standards, as well as the physical conditions and facilities of the clinic, the level of knowledge of physicians about urticaria, and the availability of current international scientific studies and articles. Having met all these criteria, PAU dermatology clinic has been awarded UCARE certificate as a result of international evaluation.
What is the importance of UCARE certification for our patients?
The UCARE certification process is a dynamic process and an institution is expected to work devotedly on urticaria and keep itself up-to-date in order to meet the standards. For our urticaria patients, this certificate is an indication that our clinic is an internationally successful and reliable center for urticaria.
Prof. Dr. Nida Kaçar emphasized that early diagnosis is important for treatment and warned our patients to see a specialist as soon as they feel the discomfort.
