Methods report on the development of the 2013 revision and update of the EAACI/GA(2)LEN/EDF/WAO guideline for the definition, classification, diagnosis, and management of urticaria

This methods report describes the process of guideline development in detail. It is the result of a systematic literature review using the 'Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation' (GRADE) methodology and a structured consensus conference held on 28 and 29 November 2012, in Berlin. It is a joint initiative of the Dermatology Section of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the EU-funded network of excellence, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN), the European Dermatology Forum (EDF), and the World Allergy Organization (WAO) with the participation of delegates of 21 national and international societies. This guideline covers the definition and classification of urticaria, taking into account the recent progress in identifying its causes, eliciting factors and pathomechanisms. in addition, it outlines evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the different subtypes of urticaria. This guideline was acknowledged and accepted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) and is published in Allergy 2014; 69:868-887.GA2LENEAACICharite, Allergy Ctr Charite, Dept Dermatol & Allergy, Berlin, GermanyMed Univ Graz, Dept Dermatol, Graz, AustriaClin San Carlo, Allergy Clin, Paderno Dugnano, ItalyOdense Univ Hosp, Dept Dermatol, DK-5000 Odense, DenmarkOdense Univ Hosp, Allergy Ctr, DK-5000 Odense, DenmarkUniv Southern Denmark, Odense, DenmarkMed Univ Silesia, Allergol & Clin Immunol Katowice, Dept Internal Dis, Katowice, PolandUniv Genoa, IRCCS AOU SanMartino, Genoa, ItalyUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Autonoma Barcelona, Hosp Mar Parc Salut Mar, E-08193 Barcelona, SpainDr DY Patil Med Coll & Hosp, Dept Dermatol, Navi Mumbai, IndiaFac Med, Dermatol Clin, Coimbra, PortugalUniv Hosp, Coimbra, PortugalGuys & St Thomas Hosp NHS Fdn Trust, St Johns Inst Dermatol, London, EnglandCtr Appl Res Allergy Quebec, Quebec City, PQ, CanadaHiroshima Univ, Dept Dermatol, Inst Biomed & Hlth Sci, Hiroshima, JapanMed Univ S Carolina, Dept Med, Div Pulm & Crit Care Med, Charleston, SC 29425 USAHannover Med Sch, Dept Dermatol & Allergy, Hannover, GermanyPantai Hosp Kuala Lumpur, Dept Paediat, Bangsar, MalaysiaUniv Hosp Tenon, Dept Dermatol & Allergy, Paris, FranceJohns Hopkins Asthma & Allergy Ctr, Baltimore, MD USACtr Medicodocente Trinidad, Allergy & Clin Immunol Dept, Caracas, VenezuelaUniv Hosp, Dept Dermatol, Allergy Unit, Zurich, SwitzerlandUniv Manitoba, Dept Pediat & Child Hlth, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, CanadaUniv Manitoba, Dept Immunol, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaUniv Med Ctr Mainz, Dept Dermatol, Mainz, GermanyUniv Toronto, Div Allergy & Clin Immunol, Toronto, ON, CanadaTechnion, Bnai Zion Med Ctr, Fac Med, Haifa, IsraelUniv Bari, Dept Biomed Sci & Human Oncol, Unit Dermatol & Venereol, Bari, ItalyUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc