Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), defined as the occurrence of spontaneous wheals for more than six weeks, has been associated with autoimmune diseases. Herein, we report the unusual association of CSU, Graves' disease, and premature ovarian failure. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) studies were performed. A 36-year-old woman presented symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism for three months. In ...

BACKGROUND Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is associated with considerable burden, but data from European patients are limited. METHODS This study is a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of National Health and Wellness Survey data from the five largest EU countries (5EU: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) collected between 2010 and 2013. Burden of disease for patients with CS...

BACKGROUND Asthma and urticaria are both partially mediated by an increased release of histamine from highly activated mast cells. They are pathophysiologically different, as mast cell degranulation in these 2 disorders results from different mechanisms. OBJECTIVE To assess the incidence of urticaria in patients with asthma, and of asthma in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). ...

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a skin condition characterized by the presence of intensively pruritic lesions occurring intermittently or continuously for more than 6 weeks. Because the cause(s) of CU are often not known, it is usually referred as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) or chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). It affects 0.1%–0.3% of children. Moreover, solar urticaria (SU) is a rare chro...

BACKGROUND There is no specific International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for chronic idiopathic urticaria or spontaneous urticaria (CIU/CSU), a skin condition characterized by hives and angioedema lasting at least 6 weeks with no known cause. OBJECTIVE To validate an ICD-9-CM-based algorithm for identification of patients with CIU/CSU and...

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is defined as the presence of urticaria with daily or almost daily symptoms for 6 weeks or more. CSU affects 0.1%-0.8% of the population. Its pathogenesis involves autoimmunity, abnormalities in signal transduction, and the action of histamine on H1 receptors. Investigation of CSU should be guided by a thorough history and physical examination. A concise labo...

Chronic idiopathic/spontaneous urticaria (CIU/CSU), which affects ~1% of the United States population, is defined as recurrent hives for >6 weeks (Kaplan and Greaves, 2009). Active CIU/CSU patients uniquely display suppressed basophil FcεRI-mediated histamine release (BHR) (Saini, 2014). This is a feature that improves in disease remission (Eckman et al., 2008; Kern and Lichtenstein, 1976; Oliv...

BACKGROUND The pathogenesis of chronic spontaneous urticaria involves interplay between the genetic and environmental factors, most of which is still poorly understood. It is well-recognized that 30-40% of chronic spontaneous urticaria is autoimmune in nature. Chronic autoimmune urticaria is caused by anti-FcɛR1β and less frequently, by anti-IgE auto antibodies that lead to mast cell and basoph...

BACKGROUND The basophil activation test (BAT) using CD63 expression is a sensitive and specific tool for the diagnostic workup of autoimmune chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The definition of a positive BAT is directly dependent on the reference range and the cutoff values established in control populations. As of now, the pediatric reference range and cutoff values of the CD63 BAT remain t...

BACKGROUND Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is associated with activation of acute phase response. On the other hand, it is known that systemic inflammation may lead to increased formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), associated with pathogenesis of various diseases. AIM We aim to test whether chronic inflammation manifested by activated acute phase response may provide a mec...