Objective: After the devastating earthquake in Türkiye on February 6, 2023, the majority of the local population had to live in containers or damaged houses, causing stress that could lead to the development of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in some patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of living in pre-existing buildings or container houses on CSU.

Materials and Methods: CSU patients whose symptoms initiated in the earthquake zone were included. Urticaria Control Test (UCT), Chronic Urticaria-Quality-of-Life questionnaires (CU-QoL), and the Overall Dry-Skin- Score (ODS) were utilized.

Results: A total of 16 patients diagnosed with CSU after the earthquake, with nine living in containers and seven in pre-existing buildings, were included. In the comparison of patients staying in pre-existing buildings and containers, a greater adverse impact on the quality of life scores was observed in those staying in pre-existing buildings although there was no statistical difference in UCT and ODS scores between the groups (container; median: 30.4 [10.8-40.7], building; median: 43.4 [35.8-50], p=0.02).

Conclusion: Earthquakes and associated stress may emerge as risk factors for the development of CSU, and the stress of living in damaged houses may negatively affect the quality of life in CSU patients.