Objective: Acute urticaria is one of most common allergic skin diseases in children like all age groups. But the etiological factors may vary from society to society and can`t be determined in all cases. In this study, we wanted to investigate the factors that may play a role in the etiology acute urticaria in children admitted to the emergency department of an inner city hospital.

Materials and Methods: The study consisted of children with acute urticaria who had admitted to the pediatric emergency department of Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital. In addition to a detailed history, the patients were thoroughly examined; some biochemical tests, radiological investigations and skin prick test with some common allergens were made.

Results: The study comprised 46 (26 boys) children with a mean age of 5.9 years. Forty (86.9%) of patients with urticaria had at least one etiological factor and 21 (45.6%) cases had more than one etiological factor. Allergy to environmental allergens (39%) and infections (19.5%) were found to be the leading etiological factors in children with acute urticaria.

Conclusion: The etiology of acute urticaria may be delineated in most of children. Hypersensitivity to common allergens and infections should be kept in mind as the leading etiological factors in children with acute urticaria.