Helicobacter pylori is probably the commonest bacterial infection worldwide and is now accepted as the cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric carcinoma, and gastric lymphoma. In the last few years, besides the local gasteroduodenal tissue damage, an association between H.pylori and various extra-intestinal pathologies had been described. Recent studies have suggested that H.pylori infection ...

Background Spontaneous urticaria is a common allergic skin condition affecting 0.5-1% of individuals and may burden on health care expenditure or may be associated with remarkable morbidity. Aim In this study, we measured the effect of vitamin D supplementation in patients with a diagnosis of CSU. Furthermore, quality of life and cytokine changes were evaluated. Methods The clinical trial w...

Recent studies suggest that autoimmune mechanisms may be involved in the etiology of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). There is a higher prevalence of B12 deficiency in autoimmune diseases and possibly in gastric Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The frequency of B12 deficiency in CIU is unknown. Our objective in this study was to determine the prevalence of B12 deficiency in patient...

We appreciated the paper by Levy et al published in this journal in June 2003. A number of the cases of chronic urticaria in children appear to be of unknown aetiology, and experiences such as the one reported by the authors indicate an autoimmune origin. In our opinion the model of association between thyroiditis and chronic urticaria may apply to the association between coeliac disease and ch...

Sir, Urticarias unresponsive to antihistamines are frustrating for both physicians and patients. In severe cases, steroids or cyclosporine may be needed.[1] This retrospective observation highlights the potential of warfarin in managing chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). halobetasol ointment (P = 0.005), clobetasol ointment and halobetasol ointment (P = 0.015) and halobetasol cream and halobet...