IMPORTANCE Omalizumab has emerged as a novel and effective treatment option for patients with antihistamine-resistant chronic urticaria. It is unclear whether patients with recurrent urticaria symptoms after discontinuation of omalizumab treatment can benefit from retreatment. OBJECTIVE To assess the response of patients with chronic urticaria who receive omalizumab retreatment. DESIGN, SET...

Background: There are no studies assesing whether patients with idiopathic anaphylaxis are a heterogenous population Objective: A study has been carried out to assess whether clinical and functional differences (mast cell releasability) exist between two sub-types of Idiopathic Anaphylaxis (Generalized Idiopathic Anaphylaxis -IA-Gand Idiopathic Anaphylaxis with Angioedema -IA-A-). Methods: Pati...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in satisfaction with life and coping strategies between patients with acute and chronic urticaria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Sixty patients with urticaria were divided into 2 groups after 6 weeks of standardized dermatology treatment (33 patients with acute and 27 patients with chronic urticaria). At baseline, all patients answere...

BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of chronic idiopathic (spontaneous) urticaria (CIU) is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that a study of gene expression in active lesions from patients with CIU would uncover unexpected associations. METHODS We enrolled eight patients with CIU and six healthy controls, and obtained 4 mm punch biopsy specimens of active lesions and unaffected skin o...

A previously healthy 8-year old boy was seen for a second opinion regarding a 1-year history of urticaria. The initial onset of generalized urticaria was noted 30 minutes after a dose of fexofenadine for seasonal allergy symptoms. He had tolerated fexofenadine in previous pollen seasons without any complications. Since onset, he has had daily generalized urticaria. After 2 months of symptoms de...

BACKGROUND Antihistamines are the standard treatment for chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). For patients whose urticaria is unresponsive to antihistamines, the treatment options are limited. During the previous decade, there have been several case reports demonstrating success with sulfasalazine therapy. In this article, we present a case series evaluating sulfasalazine therapy for antihistami...

Results 20 patients were treated with Sulfasalazine as adjunctive therapy and 1 patient was lost to follow up. The patient’s ages ranged between 27-75 years with a mean of 48 years and 10 (50%) were female. IgE receptor antibody status was determined in 12 patients and 6 patients were positive. Out of the 19 patients who are still being followed, 10(52.6%) failed to respond to the Sulfasalazine...

Background: The immunologic profile of chronic urticaria is not only important for diagnostic purposes, but also for therapeutic approaches. This study evaluated the serum levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) and Interferon-ϒ (IFN-ϒ) in patients with chronic urticaria to find a biomarker.Materials and Methods: Forty-one patients with chronic urticaria referring to the...

BACKGROUND The clinical implications of autoimmune testing in chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) are not well established. OBJECTIVE To identify the association of autoimmune biomarkers in CIU with disease severity. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 195 patients with a diagnosis of CIU for the presence of antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-thyroglobulin antibody (ATG), anti-thyroperoxidase...

BACKGROUND The etiology of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is not completely clear. There are a few antibodies were reported to correlate with CIU. OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation these antibodies and CIU. METHODS The autologous serum skin test (ASST) and allergens were performed. Serum levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), anti-FcεRI and anti-IgE, anti-Helicobacter pylori (HP) anti...