Allergic Contact Urticaria Caused By Raw Potato:Report of a Case

Abstract

Immediate hypersensitivity to raw potato has been presented as one or a combination of wheezing, rhinorrhea, sneezing, contact urticaria and contact dermatitis. We experienced a case of contact urticaria caused by raw potato in a 25- year-old female patient with allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. She had experienced itching and generalized urticaria after application of raw potato on her face 10 years earlier. Allergy skin tests showed positive results to common inhalant allergens, including D. pteronyssinus, D. farina, ragweed pollen, mugwort pollen and several kinds of grass pollens, but showed a negative result to raw potato extract. However, the provocation test by applying raw potato on her forearm produced an immediate onset of contact urticaria with itching sensation. High serum-specific IgE to raw potato compared to normal healthy controls was detected by ELISA. We first report here in a case of raw potato-induced contact urticaria in Korea, which suggested an IgE-mediated mechanism.