Search

Background and Design: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a common disease characterized by erythematous and itchy wheals, angioedema, or both that last for >6 weeks. Its etiology is not yet fully determined. This study aimed to analyze the distress tolerance (DT) levels of patients with CSU and correlations between DT and clinical parameters and other psychological symptoms. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two patients with CSU without any concomitant diseases were included in the study. The control group included 50 healthy volunteers with similar baseline demographics but without physical or psychiatric diseases. The urticaria activity score 7 (UAS7) was used to determine the disease severity in the patient group. In both groups, Sociodemographic and Clinical Data Form, Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and state and trait anxiety inventory were used. Statistical differences in psychiatric scale scores were found between the patient and control groups, and a correlation was found between UAS7 and scale scores in the patient group. Results: No differences in sociodemographic variables were found between the patient and control groups. The DTS and subgroup score analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the patient and control groups. The DTS-total scores (p

Purpose: Chronic urticaria is a skin disease with unknown etiology. Autoimmunity and psychogenic factors have been suggested to play a role in pathogenesis. Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic disease that may be associated with psychogenic factors. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and severity of fibromyalgia and the effect of fibromyalgia coexistence on clinical features and dermatology life quality index in urticaria patients. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients with chronic urticaria and no history of any systemic disease and 100 age and sexmatched healthy controls were included. Urticaria severity was evaluated by the dermatology life quality index (DLQI). Clinical severity and disability status were evaluated by the visual analog scale (VAS) and fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ). Results: The mean age of the chronic urticaria patient group was 37.7±1.32, and that was 40.7±11.2 in the control group (p=0.09). Fibromyalgia frequency (45%) in the chronic urticaria group was significantly higher than in the control group (13%) (p=0.00). The duration of chronic urticaria was significantly higher in the patients with FMS than in the patients without FMS (p=0.001). There was a statistically significant correlation between FIQ and DLQI (p=0.019). No significant differences in terms of FMS durations, VAS, and FIQ values were detected between groups (p=0.432, p=0.201, p=0.332). Conclusion: High frequency of fibromyalgia in chronic urticaria patients was found. This may be related to the chronic effect of neuromediators involved in chronic urticaria pathogenesis.

Copyright of Osmangazi Journal of Medicine / Osmangazi Tip Dergisi is the property of Eskisehir Osmangazi University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Design: Urticaria is a very common skin disease which is characterized by itchy, erythematous and edematous plaques. Angioedema can also be seen in half of the cases in addition to skin findings. In most cases of chronic urticaria, the underlying factor is not known. Omalizumab, a recombinant human monoclonal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody against IgE, is a safe treatment option in chronic urticaria cases which are resistant to treatment with antihistamines. This study aimed to evaluate the treatment responses of chronic urticaria patients taking omalizumab treatment with an urticaria control test (UCT). Materials and Methods: One hundred fifty-four patients diagnosed with chronic urticaria taking omalizumab treatment attended our evaluation between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018. These patients were evaluated with an UCT every four weeks. Sixty-six patients who were evaluated with an UCT during the course of the following 12 weeks were statistically analyzed. Thirty-nine of the patients received a treatment shorter than 12 months (the first group), and the remaining 27 patients received treatment for longer than 12 months (the second group). The patients were analyzed according to the duration of their treatment. Results: The first, second, and third average UCT scores of the 3 sequential applications for the first group were 9.16; 11.57; and 12.73; respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the UCT scores between the 3 successive applications in the first group (p

Aim:Recently, it has been reported that the mean platelet volume (MPV) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can be used as indicators of inflammation in various inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis. In this study, we aimed to assess MPV levels and NLR in children with chronic urticaria (CU) and to compare them with healthy controls.Materials and Methods:The cases of 46 children with CU [11 with inducible urticaria (IU) and 35 with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU)] admitted to our outpatient clinics, and 30 healthy children were evaluated retrospectively.Results:No statistically significant differences among the CU, CSU, and IU and the control groups were found in terms of NLR and MPV levels (p>0.05). The platelet counts in the CU, CSU, and IU and control groups were not statistically significantly different (p>0.05).Conclusion:We found that MPV levels and NLR were not different in children with CU, CSU, and IU and in healthy children. It seems that the MPV and NLR cannot be used as inflammatory markers of CU in children. We believe that further studies are required in this field.

Objective: Skin prick test (SPT) is mainly used for diagnosis and follow-up of diseases like atopic dermatitis (AD), chronic urticaria (CU), allergic asthma (AA) and allegic rhinitis (AR). The aim of current study is to explore the results of SPT retrospectively which were performed in Dermatology Outpatient Allergy Unit (DOAU) for identifying indications and positivity. Methods: Results of SPT which were performed on 2014-2016 were investigated based on archives of DOAU. Results of SPT were analyzed from the SPT Forms which were prepared for each patient. Results: SPT were performed on 1916 individuals who admitted to DOAU during 2015-2016. AA was determined in 941, AR in 133 and dermatological diseases were 842 patients. SPT positive results, for at least one or more allergen agents, of patients with AA, AR and dermatological diseases were 92.1%, 71.4% and 50% respectively. Dermatological diseases included; except CU in 69 patients and AD in 55 patients. In the remaining 718 patients were diagnosed with dermatitis, idiopathic generalised pruritus (IGP) and other dermatological disorders. SPT positivity rates in CU was 55.1%, 52.7% in AD and 48.6% in several dermatological diseases. Conclusions: As a result, the rate of SPT positivity in patients with AA and AR were higher than both CU, AD and several dermatological diseases. The reason of this may be related with lesser role of type 1 hypersensivity reaction in etiopathogenesis of CU and AD, and/or improper SPT indications who were directed with diagnosis of several dermatological diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cold urticaria is an uncommon type of physical urticaria. We aimed to characterize the features of patients with cold urticaria, and to investigate the effect of increasing stimulation time on the diagnostic value of the ice cube test. Materials and Methods: Twenty-nine patients diagnosed with cold urticaria in the past three years were retrospectively included. Demographic and clinical data were collected. The ice cube test was performed in all patients. During the standard ice cube test procedure the stimulation time was five minutes, and if the result was negative it was gradually increased to ten and twenty minutes. To investigate the effect of increasing the stimulation time to twenty minutes on the diagnostic value, the test was performed in twenty patients with chronic urticaria in whom cold was not a triggering factor. Results: Twenty-nine patients (F/M: 20/9, median (min-max) age:37 (17-57)) with cold urticaria were included. No secondary causes were identified. The rate of atopy was 48.0%. Three patients (10.3%) had localised cold urticaria. The frequency of systemic reactions and anaphylaxis was 48.0% and 10.3%, respectively. Twelve patients (41.4%) also had other types of urticaria, most commonly chronic spontaneous urticaria, and symptomatic dermographism. The sensitivity of the ice cube test was 58.6% when the stimulation time was five minutes and 69.0% when the stimulation time was gradually increased to twenty minutes. None of the controls showed positivity on the ice cube test with a stimulation time of twenty minutes. Conclusion: Increasing the stimulation time during the ice cube test, when necessary, increases the sensitivity of the test and does not cause false positivity in patients with chronic urticaria in whom cold was not a triggering factor. Considering the high risk of systemic reactions and coexistence of other types of urticaria, cold as a triggering factor should be questioned in all patients with urticaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The drugs of choice in the treatment of urticaria in children are H1-antihistamines. The aim of the study was to evaluate children with urticaria and define risk factors for requirement of high-dose H1-antihistamines in children with urticaria. Material and Methods: The medical data of children who were diagnosed as having urticaria admitted to our outpatient clinic between January 2014 and January 2016 were searched. The medical histories, concomitant atopic diseases, parental atopy histories, medications, treatment responses, blood eosinophil and basophil counts, and serum total IgE levels were recorded. In addition, the urticaria activity score for seven days, autoimmune antibody tests, and skin prick test results were evaluated in children with chronic urticaria. Results: The numbers of the children with acute and chronic urticaria were 138 and 92, respectively. The age of the children with chronic urticaria was higher than that of those with acute urticaria (p<0.0001). There was no difference between the two groups in terms of blood eosinophil and basophil counts, and serum total IgE levels (p>0.05). There was a negative correlation between blood eosinophil count and the UAS7 score in children with chronic urticaria (r=-0.276, p=0.011). Chronic urticaria and requirement of high dose H1-antihistamines were significant in children aged >10 years (p<0.001, p=0.015). High UAS7 score (OR: 1.09; CI 95%: [1.03-1.15]) and basopenia (OR: 6.77; CI 95%: [2.01-22.75]) were associated with the requirement of high-dose H1-AH in children with chronic urticaria. Conclusion: The requirement of high-dose H1-antihistamines was higher with children's increasing age. Disease severity and basopenia were risk factors for the requirement of high-dose H1-antihistamines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Design: Although the etiology of chronic urticaria is not clear, autoimmune and inflammatory activities are suspected. We aimed to determine the relationship of serum sex hormone levels with disease severity and autologous serum skin test (ASST) positivity in chronic urticaria patients on the basis of the fact that sex hormones have a regulatory role on the functions of inflammatory cells. Materials and Methods: Fifty female chronic urticaria patients and 25 age-matched healthy females were included. In the patient group, severity of illness was determined and ASST was performed. Serum prolactin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, progesterone and total testosterone levels in both groups were recorded. Results: There was no significant difference in the severity of illness between ASST (-) and ASST (+) patients. DHEA-S levels in ASST (-) and ASST (+) groups were compared, and significantly lower levels were detected in the patient group. There was no significant correlation between ASST positivity and DHEA-S levels. There was no significant difference in other hormone levels between control and patient groups. It was also found that there was no significant difference in LH/FSH levels between patient and control groups. Conclusion: In chronic urticaria patients, DHEA-S and total androgens, progesterone levels which have anti-inflammatory effects are expected to be lower, and estrogen and prolactin levels which have proinflamatory effects are expected to be higher. The reason that there was no significant difference between patient and control groups in levels other than DHEA-S may be due to the fact that these hormone levels are not directly related with autoreactivity and/or chronic urticaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Design: Humanized monoclonal antibody omalizumab was developed for the treatment of moderate-to-severe asthma. However, recently, reports on the successful use of omalizumab in the treatment of resistant chronic urticaria are increasing in the literature. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated treatment response, adverse effects and duration of remission in 13 chronic spontaneous urticaria patients treated with omalizumab between May 2010 and January 2014. Results: In ten of the thirteen patients treated with omalizumab, urticarial lesions were suppressed and no side effects were observed. Conclusion: Our observations support the findings in the literature indicating that omalizumab is an effective and safe option in the management of treatment-resistant chronic urticaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Design: The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome in chronic urticaria patients. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out with the participation of 100 chronic urticaria patients and 61 control group patients. Chronic urticaria patients were investigated for the etiology of urticaria and the autologous serum skin test was performed in those patients. Both the chronic urticaria patients and the controls were evaluated for fibromyalgia syndrome, and the patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria were diagnosed to have fibromyalgia syndrome. Results: The frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome was significantly higher in chronic urticaria patients (23%), than in the control group (1.6%). All the patients, who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome, were female and the rate of female gender was significantly higher than in the group without fibromyalgia syndrome. Thyroid autoimmunity was positive in 26% of chronic urticaria patients. No significant difference was detected in the frequency of thyroid autoimmunity and autologous serum skin test positivity between the patients with and without fibromyalgia syndrome. Conclusion: The prevalence of fibromyalgia syndrome in chronic urticaria patients is higher than in the general population. Therefore, we suggest evaluation of chronic urticaria patients in terms of fibromyalgia syndrome which is a disease that decreases the quality of life considerably. Furthermore, in order to treat these two diseases effectively, future studies are necessary to determine the common points in the pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Dermatology / Turk Dermatoloji Dergisis is the property of Galenos Yayinevi Tic. LTD. STI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Design: The etiology of chronic urticaria (CU) in childhood remains incompletely understood because of limited data. In this study, we aimed to examine possible etiologies of CU in children. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 67 children who attended our clinic and were diagnosed with CU between January 2001 and July 2012. We investigated the etiological factors contributing to chronic urticaria, such as autoimmune disorders, malignancies and infections. Data were presented as mean±standard deviation (SD) and percentage (%). The comparisons between two groups were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Sixty-seven children who met the criteria for CU were included in the study. Male/female ratio was 0.5 and the mean age at onset of symptoms was 10.2±4.6 (range: 1-17) years. In 7% of patients, ANA titers were over 1/100. None of the patients had clinical features of a rheumatic disease, 13.7% of the subjects were positive for thyroid autoantibody. All of them were diagnosed with thyroiditis and received L-thyroxine treatment. Autologous serum skin test was positive in 42.8% of the patients (n=28). Conclusion: In children, infections and foods did not appear to be important causative factors for CU. As in adults, the etiology of CU in children is mainly related to autoreactive processes. This result is similar to that in previous studies done in Turkish children with CU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Design: In recent years, there are studies about the role of dysfunctioning of the peripheral cutaneous nerve fibers in the etiology of chronic urticaria. Similarly to urticaria, dysfunctioning of peripheral cutaneous nerve fibers was also accused in the etiology of fibromyalgia syndrome which is considered to be the one of the chronic pain syndromes. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome in patients with chronic urticaria and to show whether this frequency was affected by clinical findings of urticaria. Material and Method: Fifty patients with chronic urticaria and 48 controls were included into the study. The autologous serum skin test was performed and urticaria activity score (UAS) was calculated for the evaluation of the severity of the disease. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome was made in accordance with the American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria. The patients were divided according to disease duration into 2 groups and according to UAS into two groups. Results: 26% of patients with chronic urticaria and 20.8% of controls had fibromiyalgia syndrome and no significant difference was observed between the groups (p=0.715). There was also no significant difference between patients with positive autologous serum skin test and patients with negative autologous serum skin test. No significant difference was observed in the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome between the patients either when divided into 2 groups according to UAS or when divided into two group according to disease duration (p=0.197 and p=0.645, respectively). Conclusion: In conclusion, in contrast to a recently reported study, we observed that the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome was not increased in chronic urticaria and this frequency was not affected by the severity of urticaria, disease duration and positive autologous serum skin test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common, vascular skin reaction that is characterized with erythema and edema in skin and mucosa. Etiology is exactly unknown. Various local infections such as sinusitis, Helicobacter pylori (HP) infections and dental infections may be responsible in etiology of CU. However, the relationship between the periodontal findings and urticaria was not investigated sufficiently until now. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of periodontal findings in CU patients compared with healty controls and periodontal findings of CU patients with positive autologous serum skin test (ASST) and those with negative ASST. Forty-eight CU patients and 58 healty subjects with similar age and gender were included in the study. The periodontal status of all subjects was evaluated according to the CPITN (Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs). The mean CPITN values were 1.5±1.0 in patients with CU and 1.37±1.0 in healty controls. No statistically significant difference was observed among the groups (p>0.05). In addition, we found no statistically significant difference between the patients with positive ASST and those with negative ASST (p>0.05). Result: Periodontal findings are not considered as a risk factor for CU however further studies with larger groups are needed to compare the periodontal status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Inonu University Medical Faculty is the property of Annals of Medical Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of using of cigarette smoking, alcohol and nonalcoholic substance among the patients with vitiligo and chronic urticaria which are skin disorders having psychosomatic aspects and stress sensitivity. Method: The sample was composed of 50 vitiligo and 50 chronic urticaria patients recruited from the Dermatology policlinics of four major hospitals in Istanbul. The patient groups were compared with 50 healthy controls. The age range of the patient and control groups was 16–60 years. Results: 48% of vitiligo group, 68% of chronic urticaria group, 50% of control group were females. Cigarette smoking was 58% in vitiligo group, 40% in urticaria group, 36% in control group; alcohol intake as social drinking was 32% in vitiligo group, 20% in chronic urticaria group, 32% in control group; alcohol abuse was 2% in vitiligo group, 4% in urticaria group; substance abuse was 2% in vitiligo group only. There is no statistically significant difference between the groups according to the frequency of cigarette smoking and alcohol and nonalcoholic substance use. Conclusion: There is no difference in cigarette smoking and alcohol and nonalcoholic substance use between vitiligo, chronic urticaria patients and control group. It is clear that dermatologists and psychiatrists should cooperate to relieve the tension of these groups of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In recent studies, it has been shown that hepatitis C virus infection to be associated with various cutaneous disorders through immunological mechanisms. This study aims to investigate the seropositivity of HCV infection and alterations in biochemical liver enzymes in patients with chronic urticaria. Material-Method: Fourty patients with chronic urticaria (18 female, 22 male) and age-gender matched 40 controls (20 female, 20 male) were enrolled in this prospective study. Hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) was studied in the blood specimens by enzyme linked immunosorbanl assay and liver function including ALT, AST and ALP tests were also performed. Results: In the group of patients with chronic urticaria, 2 (5 %) patients had positive anti-HCV results while 1 patient (2.5 %) was positive in control group for anti-HCV. Discussion: No statistically significant difference was found between chronic urticaria and control in terms of both anti HCV seropositivity and liver enzyme levels (p>0.05). We consider that further and more detailed studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celiac disease is an autoimmune systemic disorder induced by the intake of gluten proteins, in genetically susceptible persons. The clinical spectrum varies from classical malabsorption to asymptomatic silent form. It is known to be associated with other autoimmune diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and autoimmune thyroiditis. In this regard, an association of celiac disease and idiopathic chronic urticaria may be expected frequently, but there are only a few such reports in the literature. In this paper, we report a case with celiac disease who has been followed for five years as chronic urticaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]