Chronic urticaria is a relatively common complaint in clinical practice. It often has an unknown aetiology or a difficult-to-avoid trigger and although rarely life-threatening, it has a profound impact on quality of life, reaching beyond the 
impairment directly related to physical symptoms. All these aspects make its management complex and often frustrating both from a patient and professional perspective. Most patients with urticaria will be seen first in primary  care, often by practice or community nursing staff. With good knowledge on diagnosis and management, up to 80% of these patients can be managed adequately in primary care.