Trait

Skin writing

Clinical name: Dermatographic urticaria

An exaggerated whealing tendency when the skin is stroked, that is, formation of red, itchy bumps and lines on the skin as a result of pressure on the skin (for instance, stroking the skin with a pen or tongue depressor).

HPO HP:0011971

Also called: Dermatographism, Dermographism
Body system: Abnormality of the cardiovascular system Abnormality of the integument

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14 genes linked to Skin writing

Changes in these genes cause rare conditions in which Skin writing is seen. Most people with this trait have none of those conditions, and a gene on this list says nothing about anyone's own genome.

Gene	How often it is seen	Conditions
SPINK5serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type 5	Always	In 1 condition
IL12Ainterleukin 12A	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
IL12RB1interleukin 12 receptor subunit beta 1	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
IRF5interferon regulatory factor 5	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
MMEL1membrane metalloendopeptidase like 1	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
POU2AF1POU class 2 homeobox associating factor 1	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
SERPING1serpin family G member 1	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
SPIBSpi-B transcription factor	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
TNFSF15TNF superfamily member 15	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
TNPO3transportin 3	Very often (80–99%)	In 1 condition
PLCG2phospholipase C gamma 2	Sometimes (5–29%)	In 1 condition
SUPT16HSPT16 homolog, facilitates chromatin remodeling subunit	Sometimes (5–29%)	In 1 condition
KITKIT proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase	Rarely (1–4%)	In 1 condition
SLC27A4solute carrier family 27 member 4	Not recorded	In 1 condition

How often is among people with one of the gene's conditions, the most often across them, as the Human Phenotype Ontology records it. These pages describe traits and the research behind them; they are not a diagnosis, and a doctor or genetic counsellor is the person to ask about symptoms.

Broader traits

Physical urticaria

Where this comes from

The Human Phenotype Ontology, release 2026-09-01: the trait, its names, its definition and the genes linked to it. Find out more at hpo.jax.org.
Data release 2026.10.16-c6eea6bf.

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