An approach to the patient with urticaria

Efficacy and Safety of Systemic Corticosteroids for Urticaria: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

BACKGROUND

Short courses of adjunctive systemic corticosteroids are commonly used to treat acute urticaria and chronic urticaria flares (both with and without mast cell-mediated angioedema), but their benefits and harms are unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of treating acute urticaria or chronic urticaria flares with versus without systemic corticosteroids.

METHODS

We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and CBM databases from inception to July 8, 2023, for randomized controlled trials of treating urticaria with versus without systemic corticosteroids. Paired reviewers independently screened records, extracted data, and appraised risk of bias with the Cochrane 2.0 tool. We performed random-effects meta-analyses of urticaria activity, itch severity, and adverse events. We assessed certainty of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

RESULTS

We identified 12 randomized trials enrolling 944 patients. For patients with low or moderate probability (17.5%-64%) to improve with antihistamines alone, add-on systemic corticosteroids likely improve urticaria activity by a 14% to 15% absolute difference (odds ratio [OR], 2.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.43-3.31; number needed to treat [NNT], 7; moderate certainty). Among patients with a high chance (95.8%) for urticaria to improve with antihistamines alone, add-on systemic corticosteroids likely improved urticaria activity by a 2.2% absolute difference (NNT, 45; moderate certainty). Corticosteroids may improve itch severity (OR, 2.44; 95% CI: 0.87-6.83; risk difference, 9%; NNT, 11; low certainty). Systemic corticosteroids also likely increase adverse events (OR, 2.76; 95% CI: 1.00-7.62; risk difference, 15%; number needed to harm, 9; moderate certainty).

CONCLUSIONS

Systemic corticosteroids for acute urticaria or chronic urticaria exacerbations likely improve urticaria, depending on antihistamine responsiveness, but also likely increase adverse effects in approximately 15% more.

Immunomodulatory Plant Natural Products as Therapeutics against Inflammatory Skin Diseases

Frequently occurring inflammatory skin conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis, acne, including skin cancer, wounds and other disorders arising out of premature skin aging, deteriorate skin health and adversely impact human life. Even though several synthetic compounds have evolved for treating these skin conditions, natural-product-based therapeutics are gaining popularity with growing evidence of their efficacy and safety for treating skin disorders. Many of these inflammatory skin diseases have underlying disturbances in our immune system and immunomodulatory natural products provide solutions for their effective treatment and aid in understanding the underlying mechanism of such inflammatory skin conditions. Based on this premise, the present review summarizes the possible application of plant-derived immunomodulatory compositions and single molecules for treating inflammatory skin conditions. In vitro, in vivo and mechanistic studies reported the application of selected plant-derived natural products for the treatment of inflammatory skin disorders including, cancer and infections. Several online databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct have been searched for gathering the information covered in this review. Empirical studies demonstrated that most of these natural compounds exhibited therapeutic properties through their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory potential supplemented often with anti-microbial, anti-neoplastic, and anti- oxidant activities. Overall, plant-based natural products discussed here are capable of modulating the immune system to minimize or completely suppress the pro-inflammatory markers, scavenge free radicals (ROS), prevent bacteria, fungal, and virus-derived skin infections and often regress skin cancer through the induction of apoptosis. The challenges and opportunities associated with the application of plant-based immunomodulators for skin applications and their safety considerations are also discussed here. The present study indicated that immunomodulatory plant natural products being biologically validated ligands against various biological targets manifested in inflammatory skin diseases, offer an effective, safe and affordable treatment for such disorders affecting skin health. However, further clinical evaluations are needed to substantiate these findings.

Evaluating safety risks of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC): a scoping review from an international consortium

Over the two last decades, whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC) has emerged as an exciting non-pharmacological treatment influencing inflammatory events at a cellular and physiological level, which can result in improved sleep quality, faster neuromuscular recovery after high-intensity exercise, and chronic pain relief for patients suffering different types of diseases (fibromyalgia, rheumatism, arthritis). Some evidence even suggests that WBC has benefits on mental health (depression, anxiety disorders) and cognitive functions in both adults and older adults, due to increased circulating BDNF levels. Recently, some safety concerns have been expressed by influential public health authorities (e.g., FDA, INSERM) based on reports from patients who developed adverse events upon or following WBC treatment. However, part of the data used to support these claims involved individuals whose entire body (except head) was exposed to extreme cold vaporized liquid nitrogen while standing in a narrow bathtub. Such a procedure is known as partial-body cryotherapy (PBC), and is often erroneously mistaken to be whole-body cryotherapy. Although having similarities in terms of naming and pursued aims, these two approaches are fundamentally different. The present article reviews the available literature on the main safety concerns associated with the use of true whole-body cryotherapy. English- and French-language reports of empirical studies including case reports, case series, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified through searches of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science electronic databases. Five case reports and two RCTs were included for a total of 16 documented adverse events (AEs). A critical in-depth evaluation of these AEs (type, severity, context of onset, participant's medical background, follow-up) is proposed and used to illustrate that WBC-related safety risks are within acceptable limits and can be proactively prevented by adhering to existing recommendations, contraindications, and commonsense guidelines.

Comparative study on the efficacy and safety of bepotastine besilate versus levocetirizine in chronic spontaneous urticaria: A randomised, open-label, parallel study

Background Urticaria is a common skin disease which often causes impairment in the quality of life. The ideal drug for chronic urticaria would have antihistaminic and anti-inflammatory actions. Bepotastine besilate is a recently approved novel anti-allergic agent with multiple mechanisms of action; levocetirizine is a potent and selective second-generation H1 receptor antagonist used in the treatment of urticaria. Aim To compare the efficacy and safety of bepotastine besilate versus levocetirizine in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Methods The study design is a randomised, open-label, parallel-group, prospective interventional study. The study subjects were randomly assigned to either of the two groups a and b, each group had 50 patients with chronic urticaria. Statistical analyses were performed using (SPSS, version 18) for all the variables. Chi-square test was used for comparison between categorical variables. An unpaired student's t-test was done for quantitative variables. Results There was a significant decrease in mean urticaria activity score (P < 0.001), chronic urticaria quality of life (P < 0.001) and clinical global improvement (P < 0.001) in both the treatment groups but this improvement was higher in the bepotastine than in the levocetirizine group. There was no significant difference in the mean of absolute eosinophil count, C-reactive protein, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase from baseline to 4th week between the two study groups. Visual analogue scale showed statistically significant improvement from baseline to 4th week (P < 0.001) of follow-up but this increase was higher in levocetirizine group (0.64-4.24) than in bepotastine group (0.56-2.56) Limitations Blinding was not done. To assess the efficacy and safety of bepotastine, a larger study can be planned. Conclusion This study found that bepotastine is superior to levocetirizine and showed a statistically significant reduction in mean urticaria activity score 7, improved quality of life and clinical global improvement in patients with urticaria.

Gluten Intolerance and Its Association With Skin Disorders: A Narrative Review

Gluten sensitivity is defined as a chronic intolerance to gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed individuals. The etiology is thought to be immune-mediated and has a variable dermatologic presentation. Celiac disease (CD) is one of the most common forms of gluten intolerance and encompasses a wide range of extra-intestinal pathology, including cutaneous, endocrine, nervous, and hematologic systems. Psoriasis, another long-term inflammatory skin condition, has been linked to significant symptomatic improvement with a gluten-free diet (GFD). Palmoplantar pustulosis (PP), a variant of psoriasis, and aphthous stomatitis, which causes recurrent oral ulcers, have also exhibited beneficial results after the dietary elimination of gluten. In addition to this, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), another immune-mediated skin disorder, is genetically similar to CD and has, therefore, shown tremendous improvement with a GFD. Another highly prevalent long-term skin condition called atopic dermatitis (AD), however, has revealed inconsistent results with gluten elimination and would require further research in the future to yield concrete results. Hereditary angioedema (HA) has shown an association with gluten intolerance in some patients who had symptomatic benefits with a GFD. Similarly, vitiligo and linear IgA bullous dermatosis have also shown some clinical evidence of reversal with a GFD. On the contrary, rosacea enhances the risk of developing CD. This narrative review emphasizes the potential impact of gluten intolerance on different cutaneous conditions and the potential therapeutic effect of a GFD on various symptomatic manifestations. There is a need for additional clinical and observational trials to further expand on the underlying pathophysiology and provide conclusive and comprehensive recommendations for possible dietary interventions.

Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Literature Review

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is characterized by recurring wheals that last 6 weeks or longer without an identifiable cause. The estimated point prevalence of CSU worldwide is 1%. Furthermore, it has a significant impact on quality of life in both adults and pediatric patients and their families. Although it is most often a self-limited disease, some patients have urticaria refractory to first-line treatment: second-generation H1 antihistamines. In these patients, the use of targeted monoclonal antibodies is necessary. While omalizumab is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved monoclonal antibody for CSU, others, including ligelizumab, dupilumab, benralizumab, and several orally administered Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors, are also promising therapeutics for reducing the morbidity of CSU. Novel therapies, among others discussed here, are rapidly being developed with new trials and therapeutics being released nearly monthly. Thus, we performed a scoping literature review of randomized controlled trials studying targeted therapies for CSU. We also discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prognosis, and future research directions in CSU.

Role of the Skin Prick Test in Urticaria Patients

Background

Urticaria, a vascular reaction of the skin, is marked by the transient appearance of erythematous papules or plaques (wheals) of varying sizes that are blanchable and associated with severe pruritus which lasts from a few hours to days. The etiological factors for urticaria include food, drugs, bacterial foci, pollen, fungi, dust, worms, physical stimuli, stress, anxiety, insect stings, etc. Skin prick tests (SPTs) represent the cheapest and most effective method to diagnose immunoglobulin E-mediated type 1 allergic reactions such as urticaria. A history suggestive of clinical sensitivity supported by a positive test strongly implicates the allergen in the disease process. In this study, we aimed to detect the common allergens and correlate the findings of SPTs with various epidemiological characteristics of urticaria patients.

Methodology

A total of 100 patients with urticaria were included in this study. After receiving written and informed consent from patients, SPTs using a battery of 45 allergens were performed.

Results

In our study, SPT positivity was seen in 88 (88%) patients. The highest sensitization was noted toward Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (house dust mite) (30%), followed by D. farinae, Cynodon dactylon, and peanuts (each comprising 24%), and Ailanthus excelsa (20%).

Conclusions

Finding the causative allergen in urticaria is often a difficult and long-drawn process, both for the physician and the patient. Our study identified an allergen in 88% of patients with urticaria, thereby showing that the SPT is a cost-effective, easy, and reliable tool for diagnosing and guiding treatments in urticaria patients.

Promising Natural Products in New Drug Design, Development, and Therapy for Skin Disorders: An Overview of Scientific Evidence and Understanding Their Mechanism of Action

The skin is the largest organ in the human body, composed of the epidermis and the dermis. It provides protection and acts as a barrier against external menaces like allergens, chemicals, systemic toxicity, and infectious organisms. Skin disorders like cancer, dermatitis, psoriasis, wounds, skin aging, acne, and skin infection occur frequently and can impact human life. According to a growing body of evidence, several studies have reported that natural products have the potential for treating skin disorders. Building on this information, this review provides brief information about the action of the most important in vitro and in vivo research on the use of ten selected natural products in inflammatory, neoplastic, and infectious skin disorders and their mechanisms that have been reported to date. The related studies and articles were searched from several databases, including PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. Ten natural products that have been reported widely on skin disorders were reviewed in this study, with most showing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer effects as the main therapeutic actions. Overall, most of the natural products reported in this review can reduce and suppress inflammatory markers, like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), induce cancer cell death through apoptosis, and prevent bacteria, fungal, and virus infections indicating their potentials. This review also highlighted the challenges and opportunities of natural products in transdermal/topical delivery systems and their safety considerations for skin disorders. Our findings indicated that natural products might be a low-cost, well-tolerated, and safe treatment for skin diseases. However, a larger number of clinical trials are required to validate these findings. Natural products in combination with modern drugs, as well as the development of novel delivery mechanisms, represent a very promising area for future drug discovery of these natural leads against skin disorders.

Natural History and Influencing Factors of Chronic Urticaria in Children

Purpose

Chronic urticaria (CU) can reduce the quality of life of children and their parents, but there are only a few studies on the course of CU in children. This study aimed to investigate the natural course of CU in children and identify the factors that influence its prognosis.

Methods

We evaluated 77 children diagnosed with CU, who were monitored for at least 48 months. Subjects were classified as either chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) or other CU, and the clinical features were compared. Remission was defined as having no symptoms without treatment for more than 1 year. The remission rate was analyzed, and the factors influencing the prognosis were investigated.

Results

The average age of the study population was 5.96 ± 4.06 years, and 64 (83.1%) patients had CSU. The remission rates at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years after symptom onset were 22.1%, 40.3%, 52.0%, 63.7%, and 70.2%, respectively, for children with CU. For children with CSU, these values were 23.4%, 43.7%, 56.2%, 68.7%, and 75.0%, respectively. The total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels were positively correlated with disease duration (r = 0.262, P = 0.021); no other factors were associated with the duration of the disease.

Conclusions

A high proportion of children with CU were classified as CSU. No indicators, except for total IgE were found to predict the timing of spontaneous remission. The CU remission rate identified in this study is expected to be used as one of the reference data for the progress of CU in patients.

Plasmapheresis: Is it a potential alternative treatment for chronic urticaria?

Background

Chronic urticaria is a common disease. Plasmapheresis is an alternative treatment that can be appropriate for patients who are resistant to treatment with 2nd generation antihistamines or for whom treatment with omalizumab is unsuitable.

Objective

To investigate the effect of plasmapheresis treatment in chronic urticaria.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed based on the data of 98 patients suffering from refractory chronic urticaria who received plasmapheresis as an alternative treatment in Vilnius University’s Hospital Santaros Clinics from 2000 to 2020. The efficiency of the treatment was evaluated by clinical judgment.

Results

58.2% of the patients exhibited a complete or significant response; of these, 37.8% had temporary relief of symptoms and 20.4% achieved disease remission; 41.8% showed no response to the plasmapheresis. Men (34.8%) had a tendency to achieve disease remission more often than women (16%) (p < 0.05). One patient did not finish the plasmapheresis treatment due to the symptoms’ exacerbation and treatment with omalizumab was initiated.

Conclusion

Plasmapheresis is a safe and effective alternative treatment when traditional treatment is unavailable or does not relieve symptoms completely. Our data showed that plasmapheresis was effective in more than half of our patients.

High-dose non-sedating antihistamines are used insufficiently in chronic urticaria patients treated with omalizumab

BACKGROUND

The lifetime prevalence of chronic urticaria (CU) is 0.5%-1%. In some patients with CU, symptomatic control is not achieved with non-sedating second-generation H1 antihistamines (nsAH1) alone, even with quadrupled standard doses as recommended in international guidelines. In these cases, biological treatment with omalizumab can be added. Since omalizumab is expensive compared to antihistamines, lack of adherence to guidelines for high dose nsAH1 (up to four-fold standard dose per day) may be associated with substantial unnecessary costs. The aim was to measure the use nsAH1 before and during omalizumab use for the first time in an omalizumab treated CU population.

METHODS

We identified all Danish patients with CU who initiated omalizumab from March 2014 to December 2018 and evaluated new and ongoing nsAH1 treatments using the Danish nationwide registries.

RESULTS

A total of 955 CU patients initiated treatment with omalizumab within the study period (median age 40 years [IQR 28-50], 74.5% females). During the 12 months prior to omalizumab initiation, 95.6% of the patients filled at least one prescription with nsAH1 at some point, while 84.7% filled at least one prescription during the three months before omalizumab. From 3 months before omalizumab initiation till 3 months after, the proportions of users of high-dose nsAH1 was maximum 31.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

Omalizumab was usually administered before sufficient nsAH1 treatment was tried. In despite of the labelling that omalizumab should be co-administered with high dose nsAH1, this does not happen This may lead to substantial unnecessary costs.

Isolated solar angioedema: A systematic review of the literature

Solar urticaria is a well-recognized photodermatosis, sometimes accompanied by angioedema. However, isolated solar angioedema (ISA) is a rare and unrecognized entity. The purpose of our work was to systematically review the available data on ISA. Therefore, a systematic review of studies evaluating ISA was performed. Additionally, a case of a 21-years-old patient from our photodermatosis service is presented. The search yielded 421 publications, with 3 eligible for review. Together with our case, 5 cases were included overall. All patients were female. Four out of 5 patients first experienced ISA at childhood or early adulthood (age range 6-22 years). UVA photoprovocation was positive in the 3 out of the 4 patients who were tested. Improvement was noted following NB-UVB hardening (2 out of 5 patients) or a short course of oral prednisone (3 out of 5 patients) combined with regular sunscreen application. To conclude, ISA is an extremely rare entity, although it may be underdiagnosed due to lack of awareness. The clinician must consider ISA in the differential diagnosis of angioedema since it can have a detrimental effect on quality of life. Besides sun avoidance, there is no consensus regarding treatment.

Impact of Probiotic Bacteria on Respiratory Allergy Disorders

Respiratory allergy is a common disease with an increased prevalence worldwide. The effective remedy is still unknown, and a new therapeutic approach is highly desirable. The review elaborates the influence of probiotic bacteria on respiratory allergy prevention and treatment with particular emphasis on the impact of the current methods of their administration – oral and intranasal. The background of the respiratory allergy is complex thus, we focused on the usefulness of probiotics in the alleviation of different allergy factors, in particular involved in pathomechanism, local hypersensitive evidence and the importance of epithelial barrier. In this review, we have shown that (1) probiotic strains may vary in modulatory potential in respiratory allergy, (2) probiotic bacteria are beneficial in oral and intranasal administration, (3) recombinant probiotic bacteria can modulate the course of respiratory allergy.

Urticaria as a manifestation of hyperthyroidism

In clinically euthyroid patients presenting with urticaria, a trial period of withholding antithyroid medications can be exercised. In clinically hyperthyroid patients, antithyroid medications may be stopped with close observation of response.

Dermatologic aspects of bed bug epidemic: an atlas of differential diagnosis

Bed bug infestation rate has gone through an unforeseen increase in the past decades worldwide. Their resurgence is a consequence of numerous factors, including growing population density, increased international travel and the spread of insecticide resistance. Bed bug infestation is often revealed by skin symptoms appearing after their bite in sensitive patients. Medical professionals encountering patients with bed bug bites have responsibility for recognizing the condition and for instructing patients about the necessary measures for eradication. Setting the correct diagnosis, however, is not unequivocal as several skin diseases with autoimmune, immune-mediated aetiology or other arthropod stings and bites may present with similar symptoms. In this review we provide a differential diagnostic guide and an atlas of clinical pictures assigned to the diagnoses. We highlight those dermatological findings where the possibility of bed bug bite arises and identify key elements that help in the differentiation so as to avoid unnecessary diagnostic tests and force early start of extermination.

Drug Induced Cutaneous Manifestations due to Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders

Cutaneous manifestations due to drugs used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders are multiple and common. Adequate diagnosis is of great importance, bearing in mind that the therapeutic regimen depends on its diagnosis. In this review, we provided an overview of the most common drug-induced skin lesions with a detailed explanation of the disease course, presentation and treatment, having in mind that in recent years, novel therapeutic modalities have been introduced in the treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders, and that incidence of cutaneous adverse reactions has been on the rise.

Current and emerging pharmacotherapy for chronic spontaneous Urticaria: a focus on non-biological therapeutics

INTRODUCTION

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) refers to urticaria (wheals) or angioedema, which occur for a period of six weeks or longer without an apparent cause. The condition may impair the patient's quality of life.

AREAS COVERED

Treatment for CSU is mainly symptomatic. Both AAAAI/ACAAI practice parameters and EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guidelines suggest CSU management in a stepwise manner. First-line therapy is with second-generation H₁-antihistamines. Treatment should be stepped up along the algorithm if symptoms are not adequately controlled. Increasing the dosage of second-generation H₁-antihistamines, with the addition of first-generation H₁-antihistamines, H₂ antagonist, omalizumab, ciclosporin A, or short-term corticosteroid may be necessary. New medications are being developed to treat refractory CSU. They include spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, prostaglandin D₂ receptor inhibitor, H₄-antihistamine, and other agents. The authors discuss these treatments and provide expert perspectives on the management of CSU.

EXPERT OPINION

Second-generation H₁-antihistamines remain the first-line therapeutic options for the management of CSU. For patients not responding to higher-dose H₁-antihistamines, international guidelines recommend the addition of omalizumab. Efficacy and safety data for newer agents are still pending. Large-scale, well-designed, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials will further provide evidence on the safety profile and efficacy of these agents in patients with CSU.

Allergy-induced urticaria of the colon

This article reports 2 adult patients who had developed an acute allergic reaction to food ingredients or medications, respectively. Both patients presented with concurrent urticaria of the skin and colon. The latter finding appeared as numerous raised plaques of the colonic mucosa on radiographic and computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen. The urticarial lesions affecting the skin and large bowel resembled each other and resolved after treatment with antihistamines. Pertinent clinical data and previously published cases of this unusual entity are briefly reviewed.

A case report of hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis presenting with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

Background

Hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome is an infrequent condition characterized by ocular, renal, gastrointestinal and pulmonary involvement with low serum complement levels and autoantibodies. Renal manifestations vary from microscopic hematuria to nephrotic syndrome and acute kidney injury. Accordingly differing histologic patterns have been reported.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 65 years old woman with a history of chronic uveitis who presented with arthralgias, urticarial rush, nephrotic syndrome, glomerular hematuria and low serum complement. Kidney biopsy revealed an immune-complex membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. The patient received induction therapy with steroids, cyclophosphamide and hydroxychloroquine followed by rapid clinical improvement and remission of proteinuria. Maintenance treatment consisted of rituximab pulses.

Conclusions

The majority of hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome cases is idiopathic, although an association to drugs, infections or other autoimmune disorders has been recorded. Given the rarity and heterogeneity of the disease, no standard treatment is established.

Pediatric drug eruptions

Drug eruptions in children are common but in general less studied than their adult counterparts. Aside from having significant impact on the child's health and quality of life, these reactions can limit what medications the patient can receive in the future. Familiarity with pediatric drug eruptions is important for accurate diagnosis and to prevent future recurrence or ineffective therapy. Our current understanding of how drug reactions differ mechanistically between children and adults is poor. There are multiple factors that could be contributing to the differing incidence, presentation, and treatment modalities offered to pediatric versus adult patients. For many of these cutaneous drug reactions, the treatment regime is not standardized, being based primarily on case reports. Although not comprehensive, this review highlights common pediatric drug eruption patterns and discuss diagnostic mimickers. Five cutaneous adverse drug reactions in the pediatric population are presented: morbilliform (exanthematous) eruptions, urticarial eruptions, serum sickness-like reactions, fixed drug eruptions, and DRESS syndrome. Clinical features, diagnostic workup, and management are discussed with an emphasis on the pediatric population.

Alcohol-Associated Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Immunoglobulin A (IgA)-mediated leukocytoclastic vasculitis is a cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis characterized by skin findings of palpable purpura. It may occur secondary to infections, neoplasms, drugs, and systemic conditions, although it is most commonly idiopathic. A known, but rare, trigger for IgA vasculitis is alcohol consumption. We present a case of a man with IgA vasculitis associated with alcohol use and review the literature on alcohol-associated vasculitis. Although rarely reported, alcohol-associated IgA vasculitis is an important entity to consider for appropriate diagnosis and management of such patients.

Clinicoepidemiologic Features of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria in Patients with Elevated Plasma D-Dimer Levels versus those without It: A Case-Control Cross-Sectional Study of 100 Indian Patients

Background

Activated coagulation cascade is implicated in urticaria pathogenesis marked by high plasma D-dimer, a marker of fibrinolysis, levels correlating with high urticaria activity score (UAS) and poor therapeutic outcome.

Methods

Quantitative plasma D-dimer levels and coagulation parameters in 100 (male:female ratio 1:3) Indian patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria and age- and gender-matched healthy controls were compared. The clinicoepidemiologic features of chronic urticaria were then compared among patients with normal (≤0.2 mg/L) and elevated (≥0.3 mg/L) plasma D-dimer levels.

Results

Plasma D-dimer in 23% patients and 4% controls and prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time in 63% and 5% patients, respectively, were significantly higher compared with 58% and 1% of controls, respectively. About 18 of 72 (25%) patients with high UAS of ≥16-42 were compared with 5 of 28 (17.8%) patients with UAS7 of ≤15. Patients with elevated plasma D-dimer levels had significantly more systemic symptoms (86.9% vs. 81.8%) compared with patients with normal plasma D-dimer levels.

Conclusion

A subset of patients with chronic urticaria have elevated plasma D-dimer levels and exhibit higher UAS7 and systemic symptoms that may influence long-term prognosis and therapeutic choices. Small number of patients, a cross-sectional nature of study, lack of treatment outcome measures, information on self-medication, and unavailability of specific parameters for coagulation pathway activation remain few limitations of this study.

Serum amyloid A levels in acute and chronic urticaria

BACKGROUND

Serum amyloid A is an acute-phase protein. There is no available data regarding serum amyloid A levels in patients with acute (AU) and chronic urticaria (CU).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between serum amyloid A and urticaria.

METHODS

This was a case-control study of 81 patients who visited our Hospital between June and December 2016 with a diagnosis of urticaria. Eighty healthy controls (HC) who visited for routine health examination and physical checkups were recruited. Serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein levels were measured by automated methods.

RESULTS

Serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein levels were significantly higher in AU (Serum amyloid A: 207.1 (6.7-439.0) mg/L; C-reactive protein: 16.0 (0.2-90.0) mg/L) and CU (Serum amyloid A: 6.5 (2.5-35.8) mg/L; C-reactive protein: 1.0 (0.1-16.0) mg/L) compared with HC (Serum amyloid A: 5.04 (2.0-9.1) mg/L; C-reactive protein: 1.2 (0.1-5.6) mg/L), and in AU compared with CU (all P<0.05). There were no differences between the CU and HC group. In CU, Serum amyloid A levels in those with moderate/severe urticaria (median, 16.4 (9.7-35.8) mg/L) were higher than in those with mild urticaria (median, 5.7 (2.5-9.5) mg/L) and HC (all P<0.05). Serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein levels exceeded the normal lab range in 90.7% and 72.1% patients with AU compared with 28.9% and 13.2% patients with CU, respectively. Significant positive correlations were found between serum amyloid A and C-reactive protein (r = 0.562, P < 0.001).

STUDY LIMITATIONS

There was no comparison between active disease and remission.

CONCLUSION

There was an association between serum amyloid A levels and urticaria. Higher serum amyloid A levels were associated with AU and more severe CU. Serum amyloid A may help to identify CU patients earlier.

Effects of high temperature on existing allergic symptoms and the effect modification of allergic history on health outcomes during hot days among adults: An exploratory cross-sectional telephone survey study

OBJECTIVE

The effects of high temperature on existing allergic conditions are unclear. This study explored the prevalence of allergic symptoms and the effects of high temperature on existing allergic symptoms among an adult population. The effects of high temperature on other non-allergic health outcomes were compared between adults with and without a history of allergic symptoms.

METHOD

A cross-sectional telephone survey study was conducted in Hong Kong two weeks after a heat wave in 2017. Socio-demographic information, history of allergic symptoms, non-allergic health symptoms and self-reported changes of allergic symptoms during the study hot period were collected using multiple-choice questions.

RESULTS

Of the 436 respondents, 24% had reported an allergic history. During the study hot period, 22.4% and 15.7% of those who had skin and nasal allergies had reported worsen symptoms comparing to normal days. Comparing to people without an allergic history, those ever having allergic symptoms reported a higher rate of mucus secretions, mouth ulcers, poorer sleeping quality and worsen mood during the study hot period. The main limitation of this study is the lack of baseline information and the changes in symptoms were based on self-report basis.

CONCLUSION

A noticeable proportion of the study adult population reported an allergic history. Some of these symptoms got worse during period of high temperature. Pre-existing allergic symptoms were found associated with more adverse health effects and worse quality of life during hot days. Strategic health promotion policy should be planned to increase the awareness of the potential impacts of high temperature on allergy and the related health issues.

Common Annular Lesions in the Pediatric Population: Part 2

Rash is a common chief complaint for patients presenting to their physician, especially within the pediatric field. The ability to distinguish characteristics of a rash, including morphology, distribution, and configuration, is critical to forming the differential diagnosis. This is the second article of a 2-part review that discusses the common rashes that present in an annular configuration. This articles discuss the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of fixed drug eruptions, lupus erythematosus, erythema multiforme, urticaria, and erythema migrans. Although this review is not inclusive of all conditions that present with annular lesions, it can serve as a starting point for physicians managing a patient with these complaints. [Pediatr Ann. 2019;48(3):e135-e138.].

Urticaria: A comprehensive review: Treatment of chronic urticaria, special populations, and disease outcomes

Second-generation antihistamines are considered first-line agents in the treatment of chronic urticaria because of their safety and efficacy profile. Some patients require higher doses of H₁ antihistamines alone or in combination with other classes of medications, including H₂ antihistamines, leukotriene receptor antagonists, or first-generation H₁ antihistamines. One major therapeutic advance has been omalizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-immunoglobulin E that was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic urticaria that is unresponsive to H₁ antagonists. In addition, the second article in this continuing medical education series outlines several evidence-based alternative treatments for urticaria and the differences in recommendations between 2 major consensus groups (the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology/World Allergy Organization and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology/American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Joint Task Force).

Chloroquine induced urticaria: A newer adverse effect

Malaria an endemic disease of India caused by plasmodium species. Chloroquine, a member of quinolone group of drugs is used to treat malaria. Although it has a very safety profile as it is used during pregnancy, many adverse effects have also been reported. Here we report a case of 30-year-old male admitted with fever diagnosed to be having malaria, who developed urticaria immediately after being treated with first dose of chloroquine which was treated successfully. This is the first case reported ever in an adult having chloroquine induced urticaria.

Impact of chronic urticaria on systemic lupus erythematosus: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan

Chronic urticaria (CU) may be closely pathogenically related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aims to investigate the association between CU and SLE patients in Taiwan. A nationwide population-based cohort study from 1997 to 2013 was conducted. Investigated subjects were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database using the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision code. Participants consisted of 13 845 subjects newly diagnosed with CU from 2003 to 2013. We estimated the incidence risk of SLE among patients with CU by time-to-event analysis. Patients with CU were more likely to be female, and had a significant difference in urbanization and length of hospital stays (P < 0.0001). The incidence rates of SLE for the CU and control groups were 3.55 and 1.68, respectively. The crude hazard ratio of SLE among subjects with CU was 2.113 compared with the non-urticarial control group. After adjusting the demographic, length of hospital stay and comorbidity, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of SLE was still significantly higher in the CU group (aHR = 2.113) compared with the control group. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids may decrease the risk of SLE in patients with CU (P = 0.0216 and 0.0120, respectively). In conclusion, CU is associated with a higher risk of incidental SLE in this population-based, nationwide, cohort study. Inflammation and immune dysregulation are considered two potential mechanisms. Clinically, patients with urticaria should be carefully evaluated for risk of future SLE.

Real-World Characteristics and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Urticaria Initiating Omalizumab in the United States

BACKGROUND

Omalizumab is indicated for the management of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) in patients aged 12 years or older with persistent hives that are not adequately controlled by H1 antihistamines. While its safety and efficacy in CIU patients have been evaluated in multiple clinical trials, real-world use of omalizaumab in CIU has not been well characterized.

OBJECTIVE

To assess demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment patterns of CIU patients who initiated omalizumab to better understand the usage of this agent in CIU management in the real world.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used medical and pharmacy claims data in the United States from the HealthCore Integrated Database to identify patients with CIU newly treated with omalizumab (≥ 4 omalizumab claims within 6 months of the initial claim) between March 21, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (study intake period). The index date was defined as the date of the first claim for omalizumab during the study intake period. Demographic and clinical characteristics were described for patients treated with omalizumab, as were treatment patterns associated with omalizumab and concomitant medications associated with CIU treatment. Descriptive and inferential statistics were reported. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine omalizumab treatment patterns.

RESULTS

This study included 298 omalizumab-treated patients (mean [SD] age of 43.5 [13.64] years; 70.8% female); approximately 84% were seen by an allergist/immunologist. All patients had ≥ 12 months of continuous enrolment and a subset of 138 patients had ≥ 18 months of follow-up. For patients with ≥ 12 months of post-index follow-up, 12.1% (n = 36), 28.5% (n = 85), and 32.9% (n = 98) discontinued omalizumab within the 6-month, 12-month, and the entire post-index periods (mean 530 days), respectively; the mean number of days patients were continuously treated with omalizumab was 443.1 (95% CI = 425.0-461.3); the probabilities of continuous treatment (95% CI) were 0.879 (0.836-0.911), 0.711 (0.656-0.759), and 0.647 (0.585-0.703) for the 6-, 12-, and 18-month post-index periods, respectively. For the 98 patients who discontinued omalizumab during the entire post-index period, 28.6% restarted omalizumab after the first discontinuation within the post-index period (mean time from first discontinuation to first restart=329 days). Use of medications such as oral corticosteroids, montelukast, cyclosporine, and prescription H1 and H2 antihistamines decreased during the 1- to 6-month and 7- to 12-month post-index periods compared with those within the 6-month pre-index period.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort of CIU patients who were newly prescribed omalizumab, the majority were treated by allergists/immunologists as expected, and approximately 60% of patients continued on therapy beyond 18 months. Concomitant medication use decreased after omalizumab initiation. These data on the real-world use of omalizumab for CIU may help to better inform decision-making processes for health care payers by quantifying omalizumab and concomitant medication treatment patterns over a longer time frame relative to previous studies.

DISCLOSURES

This study was sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, which provided funding support for the conduct of the study. Kavati, Ortiz, and Paknis are employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Ke, Wertz, Huang, Wang, Willey, and Stephenson are employees of HealthCore, an independent research organization that received funding from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for the conduct of this study. Beck is an employee of the University of Rochester Medical Center, who was under contract with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to provide consulting services to this study, and reports grants from Genentech, outside the currently submitted work. Bernstein is affiliated with Bernstein Clinical Research Center, which was under contract with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to provide consulting services to this study, and reports receiving grants and personal fees from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, grants and personal fees from Genentech outside of the submitted work, and is an author on the Joint Task Force for Practice Parameters for Urticaria and the GALEN international guidelines for urticaria under preparation. Selected study data were presented in a poster at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 22nd Annual International Meeting on May 20-24, 2017, in Boston, MA. A poster based on this dataset was presented at the 2017 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting on October 26-30, 2017, in Boston, MA.

Adverse events and concurrent medications associated with parenteral nutrition use

In this study, clinical manifestations of adverse events and frequently used medications in patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) in Korea were evaluated using Korea Adverse Event Reporting System (KAERS) database records between 2011 and 2015. Amino acids, fat emulsions, carbohydrates, combinations and solutions for PN were identified as causative agents. Adverse events classified as "certain", "probable" and "possible" based on the WHO-Uppsala Monitoring Centre criteria were analysed. In total, 6439 adverse events from 4260 patients were included for analysis. Mean patient age was 54.4 ± 18.1 years and the mean number of adverse events per patient was 1.5 ± 1.1. Frequent adverse events were gastrointestinal (2159 events, 33.5%), skin/appendage (1344 events, 20.9%), general (846 events, 13.1%) and central/peripheral nervous system (716 events, 11.1%) disorders. Common clinical symptoms were nausea (1248 events, 19.4%), vomiting (558, 8.7%), pruritus (456 events, 7.1%), rash (386 events, 6.0%) and dizziness (329 events, 5.1%). The frequently reported concomitant agents were tramadol (n = 475, 3.1%), fentanyl (n = 405, 2.7%), paracetamol (n = 329, 2.2%), ketorolac (n = 322, 2.1%) and metoclopramide (n = 289 cases, 1.9%). The frequent adverse events remained consistent after accounting for concurrent medications. Our findings from a nationwide reporting system database found that gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting) were the leading adverse events, requiring further studies on their prevalence, mechanisms and therapeutic options.

Consensus Statement for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Urticaria: A 2017 Update

This article is developed by the Skin Allergy Research Society of India for an updated evidence-based consensus statement for the management of urticaria, with a special reference to the Indian context. This guideline includes updated definition, causes, classification, and management of urticaria. Urticaria has a profound impact on the quality of life and causes immense distress to patients, necessitating effective treatment. One approach to manage urticaria is by identification and elimination of the underlying cause(s) and/or eliciting trigger(s) while the second one is by treatment for providing symptomatic relief. This guideline recommends the use of second-generation nonsedating H1-antihistamines as the first-line treatment. The dose can be increased up to four times to meet the expected results. In case patients still do not respond, appropriate treatment options can be selected depending on the associated medical condition, severity of the symptoms, affordability of the drugs, and accessibility of modern biologics such as omalizumab.

Real-World Characteristics and Treatment Patterns in Patients with Urticaria Initiating Omalizumab in the United States

BACKGROUND

Omalizumab is indicated for the management of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) in patients aged 12 years or older with persistent hives that are not adequately controlled by H1 antihistamines. While its safety and efficacy in CIU patients have been evaluated in multiple clinical trials, real-world use of omalizaumab in CIU has not been well characterized.

OBJECTIVE

To assess demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment patterns of CIU patients who initiated omalizumab to better understand the usage of this agent in CIU management in the real world.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used medical and pharmacy claims data in the United States from the HealthCore Integrated Database to identify patients with CIU newly treated with omalizumab (≥ 4 omalizumab claims within 6 months of the initial claim) between March 21, 2014, and October 31, 2015 (study intake period). The index date was defined as the date of the first claim for omalizumab during the study intake period. Demographic and clinical characteristics were described for patients treated with omalizumab, as were treatment patterns associated with omalizumab and concomitant medications associated with CIU treatment. Descriptive and inferential statistics were reported. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to examine omalizumab treatment patterns.

RESULTS

This study included 298 omalizumab-treated patients (mean [SD] age of 43.5 [13.64] years; 70.8% female); approximately 84% were seen by an allergist/immunologist. All patients had ≥ 12 months of continuous enrolment and a subset of 138 patients had ≥ 18 months of follow-up. For patients with ≥ 12 months of post-index follow-up, 12.1% (n = 36), 28.5% (n = 85), and 32.9% (n = 98) discontinued omalizumab within the 6-month, 12-month, and the entire post-index periods (mean 530 days), respectively; the mean number of days patients were continuously treated with omalizumab was 443.1 (95% CI = 425.0-461.3); the probabilities of continuous treatment (95% CI) were 0.879 (0.836-0.911), 0.711 (0.656-0.759), and 0.647 (0.585-0.703) for the 6-, 12-, and 18-month post-index periods, respectively. For the 98 patients who discontinued omalizumab during the entire post-index period, 28.6% restarted omalizumab after the first discontinuation within the post-index period (mean time from first discontinuation to first restart=329 days). Use of medications such as oral corticosteroids, montelukast, cyclosporine, and prescription H1 and H2 antihistamines decreased during the 1- to 6-month and 7- to 12-month post-index periods compared with those within the 6-month pre-index period.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort of CIU patients who were newly prescribed omalizumab, the majority were treated by allergists/immunologists as expected, and approximately 60% of patients continued on therapy beyond 18 months. Concomitant medication use decreased after omalizumab initiation. These data on the real-world use of omalizumab for CIU may help to better inform decision-making processes for health care payers by quantifying omalizumab and concomitant medication treatment patterns over a longer time frame relative to previous studies. DISCLOSURES This study was sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, which provided funding support for the conduct of the study. Kavati, Ortiz, and Paknis are employees of Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Ke, Wertz, Huang, Wang, Willey, and Stephenson are employees of HealthCore, an independent research organization that received funding from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for the conduct of this study. Beck is an employee of the University of Rochester Medical Center, who was under contract with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to provide consulting services to this study, and reports grants from Genentech, outside the currently submitted work. Bernstein is affiliated with Bernstein Clinical Research Center, which was under contract with Novartis Pharmaceuticals to provide consulting services to this study, and reports receiving grants and personal fees from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, grants and personal fees from Genentech outside of the submitted work, and is an author on the Joint Task Force for Practice Parameters for Urticaria and the GALEN international guidelines for urticaria under preparation. Study concept and design were primarily contributed by Kavati, Ortiz, and Paknis, with assistance from the other authors. Huang, Wang, and Ke took the lead in data collection, with assistance from Wertz, Willey, and Stephenson. Data interpretation was performed by Ke, Wertz, and Willey, assisted by the other authors. The manuscript was written by Stephenson, Ke, and Wang, along with Willey, Wertz, and Huang, and revised by Bernstein and Beck, with assistance from the other authors. Selected study data were presented in a poster at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 22nd Annual International Meeting on May 20-24, 2017, in Boston, Massachusetts. A poster based on this dataset was presented at the 2017 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting on October 26-30, 2017, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Perioperative Management of a Patient with Cold Urticaria

Cold urticaria consists of an allergic immune response to cold temperatures with symptoms ranging from pruritic wheals to life-threatening angioedema, bronchospasm, or anaphylactic shock. Adequate planning to maintain normothermia perioperatively is vital due to impaired hypothalamic thermoregulation and overall depression of sympathetic outflow during deep sedation and general anesthesia. This case report describes the successful perioperative management of a 45-year-old female with a history of cold urticaria undergoing a laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease and discusses how to appropriately optimize the care of these patients.

Checklist for a complete chronic urticaria medical history: an easy tool

BACKGROUND

Existing guidelines do not offer a quick, efficient alternative to the patient's recollection of relevant clinical features during anamnesis and physical examination for chronic urticaria (CU). This study aimed to identify specific items reflecting the main characteristics of CU that should be included in a comprehensive medical history for patients with CU. We also aimed to clarify possible eliciting factors for CU to support accurate diagnosis of the disease.

METHODS

A panel of postgraduate dermatologists conducted a literature search for relevant studies on CU using Medline, the Cochrane database, and PubMed.

RESULTS

We identified82 articles from which we drew a collection of items to inform development of an easy-to-use checklist and collection of items that should be included in a correct medical history. The final version of the checklist included42 items across two areas: essential clues for anamnesis and diagnosis of CU; and typical symptoms/parameters or characteristics according to subtype, etiology, and laboratory findings. Items included time of disease onset; duration, shape, size, color, and distribution of wheals; associated angioedema; atopy; and triggering factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our guide provides an easy-to-use tool to support clinicians to focus, orient themselves, and save time in medical consultations for CU, allowing better diagnosis and management of this disease.

Comorbidity of chronic spontaneous urticaria and autoimmune thyroid diseases: A systematic review

Patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are widely held to often have other autoimmune disorders, including autoimmune thyroid disease. Here, we systematically evaluated the literature on the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in CSU and vice versa. There is a strong link between CSU and elevated levels of IgG antithyroid autoantibodies (AAbs), with most of a large number of studies reporting rates of ≥10%. Levels of IgG against thyroid peroxidase (TPO) are more often elevated in CSU than those of other IgG antithyroid AAbs (strong evidence). Levels of IgG antithyroid AAbs are more often elevated in adult patients with CSU than in children (strong evidence). Patients with CSU exhibit significantly higher levels of IgG antithyroid AAbs (strong evidence) and IgE-anti-TPO (weak evidence) than controls. Elevated IgG antithyroid AAbs in CSU are linked to the use of glucocorticoids (weak evidence) but not to disease duration or severity/activity, gender, age, or ASST response (inconsistent evidence). Thyroid dysfunction rates are increased in patients with CSU (strong evidence). Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis are more common than hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease (strong evidence). Thyroid dysfunction is more common in adult patients with CSU than in children (strong evidence) and in female than in male patients with CSU (weak evidence). Urticaria including CSU is more prevalent in patients with thyroid autoimmunity than in controls (weak evidence). CSU can improve in response to treatment with levothyroxine or other thyroid drugs (strong evidence). Pathogenic mechanisms in CSU patients with thyroid autoimmunity may include IgE against autoantigens, immune complexes, and complement.

A Case of Adrenergic Urticaria Associated with Vitiligo

Adrenergic urticaria is a rare form of urticaria, induced by a stress-induced concomitant release of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Here we describe the case of a 60-year-old female patient presenting with disseminated erythematous papules surrounded by a white halo and vitiligo lesions on the hands, arms, and feet. Histological examination of one of the erythematous papules showed a dermal inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes and eosinophils of perivascular and interstitial localization. After 2 weeks of treatment with antihistamines, the lesions disappeared completely.

A review on emerging frontiers of house dust mite and cockroach allergy research

Currently, mankind is afflicted with diversified health issues, allergies being a common, yet little understood malady. Allergies, the outcome of a baffled immune system encompasses myriad allergens and causes an array of health consequences, ranging from transient to recurrent and mild to fatal. Indoor allergy is a serious hypersensitivity in genetically-predisposed people, triggered by ingestion, inhalation or mere contact of allergens, of which mite and cockroaches are one of the most-represented constituents. Arduous to eliminate, these aeroallergens pose constant health challenges, mostly manifested as respiratory and dermatological inflammations, leading to further aggravations if unrestrained. Recent times have seen an unprecedented endeavour to understand the conformation of these allergens, their immune manipulative ploys and other underlying causes of pathogenesis, most importantly therapies. Yet a large section of vulnerable people is ignorant of these innocuous-looking immune irritants, prevailing around them, and continues to suffer. This review aims to expedite this field by a concise, informative account of seminal findings in the past few years, with particular emphasis on leading frontiers like genome-wide association studies (GWAS), epitope mapping, metabolomics etc. Drawbacks linked to current approaches and solutions to overcome them have been proposed.

Position statement for the use of omalizumab in the management of chronic spontaneous urticaria in Indian patients

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) affects 1% of the world population and also their quality of life, and 50% of these patients are refractory to H1-antihistamines. Omalizumab is a humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody that binds with free IgE antibodies and reduces the circulating levels of free IgE. This reduction in free IgE prevents mast-cell degranulation. The EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guidelines recommend omalizumab as the third-line of therapy as an add-on to antihistamines. The recommended dose of omalizumab is 300 mg, 4 weekly in the management of CSU refractory to standard of care with H1-antihistamines in adults and adolescents ≥12 years of age. In some patients, a dose of 150 mg may be acceptable. Omalizumab has a good safety profile. However, due to the biologic nature of the drug, all patients administered omalizumab must be observed for 2 h after administration for anaphylactoid reactions. There have been no studies on the effect of impaired renal or hepatic function on the pharmacokinetics of omalizumab. While no particular dose adjustment is recommended, omalizumab should be administered with caution in these patients.

Epicutaneous immunotherapy for food allergy as a novel pathway for oral tolerance induction

Epicutaneous immunotherapy is a developing technique, aiming at desensitizing patients with food allergy with less risks that oral ingestion or injection could generate. Several clinical trials have been performed and are currently running, in milk and peanut allergy, assessing the safety of the technique and its efficacy. Preclinical models indicate a major role in the mechanisms of desensitization, for example, Tregs and epigenetic modifications.

Temperament and character profiles of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria

Introduction

Psychosocial factors have been implicated as being important in the onset and/or exacerbation of urticaria.

Aim

To examine both personality factors of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) and the correlations between illness duration, severity of itching, urticaria activity score (UAS) and temperament-character dimensions.

Material and methods

A total number of 70 CIU patients and 60 healthy individuals were included in the study. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was administered individually. The relationship between UAS, illness duration and severity of pruritus and TCI subscales were evaluated.

Results

The CIU group had significantly higher scores of novelty seeking and lower scores of cooperativeness, reward dependence and self-directedness than the control group.

Conclusions

The current study shows that CIU patients have distinctive temperament and character dimensions when compared with the control group. We suggest that evaluation and treatment of CIU should also include psychosomatic approaches in clinical practice.

Azathioprine in autologous serum skin test positive chronic urticaria: A case-control study in a tertiary care hospital of eastern India

Context:

Urticaria, also referred to as hives or wheals is a common and distinctive reaction pattern characterized by spontaneous eruption of wheals. About 30–50% of patients categorized as idiopathic urticaria have autoimmune urticaria, needing immunosuppressive agents. Immunosuppressive agents are either too costly or have serious side effects. Azathioprine seems to address both these issues, being less costly.

Aims:

The aim was to evaluate the role of azathioprine in autologous serum skin test (ASST) positive chronic urticaria (CU).

Settings and Design:

A single-blind randomized control trial of ASST positive patients of CU.

Materials and Methods:

Patients with positive ASST were allotted into two treatment groups, named group A and group B. Patients in group A were administered azathioprine (50 mg/day) for a period of 8 weeks and followed up till 36 weeks, while patients in group B were given placebo pills. All patients were directed to take levocetirizine (5 mg) on as and when basis, in addition. Urticaria was assessed by total severity score.

Statistical Analysis Used:

MedCalc statistical software (v 12.5 for Windows) to calculate P values in independent samples by t-test, Mann–Whitney test, Friedmann test, and ANOVA.

Results:

Administration of azathioprine in group A resulted in a significant diminution of the intensity of the disease as well as in the requirement of rescue antihistamine (positive primary and secondary outcome).

Conclusion:

Azathioprine not only had immunomodulatory properties during the treatment period, but also had lasting therapeutic effect as well. There were some gastrointestinal side effects in the initial stages but no incidence of hematological or biochemical disturbances.

Acute adult-onset still's disease presenting as pulmonary hemorrhage, urticaria, angioedema and leukemoid reaction: a case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Adult-onset Still's disease is a rare systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology characterized by the classic triad of persistent high spiking fevers, joint pain and a distinctive salmon-colored bumpy rash however, the multiorgan involvement can be present.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 40-year-old woman previously healthy was referred to our hospital with 7 days of high fever and generalized arthralgia, The physical exam revealed angioneurotic edema detected on soles, palms and tongue and widespread red, urticated plaques in a symmetrical distribution affecting the arms, dorsal hands, upper and lower chest and back. Followed 5 days later by fever, the patient presented dyspnea, cough and hypoxemia, the imaging studies showed unilateral consolidation and pleural effusion. The bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage and skin biopsy were consistent with neutrophilic urticarial. The hematological disorders, infections and other autoimmune diseases were excluded.

DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION

The diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease can be very difficult. There are no specific tests and reliance is usually placed on a symptom complex and the well described typical rash seen in most patients. In recent years, however, other cutaneous manifestations of Adult-onset Still's disease have been reported but these are not so well known.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence of rare manifestations is growing and the early clinical presentation of Adult-onset Still's is extremely variable, making diagnosis difficult. For this reason, data on early clinical presentation of the disease are of interest. We reported the first case of acute Adult-onset Still's disease with the association of pulmonary hemorrhage, urticaria and angioedema including a rare systemic manifestation as leukemoid reaction.