Turkderm Turkish Archives of Dermatology and Venereology (Dec 2020)

The use of an urticaria control test for the evaluation of omalizumab treatment response in patients diagnosed with chronic urticaria

  • Burhan Engin,
  • Sera Nur Yücesoy,
  • Özge Aşkın,
  • Zekayi Kutlubay,
  • Server Serdaroğlu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4274/turkderm.galenos.2020.06887
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 54, no. 4
pp. 143 – 147

Abstract

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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<0.05). On the other hand, the first, second, and third average UCT scores of the 3 sequential applications for the the second group were 11.20; 11.40; and 12.36 respectively. There was statistically significant difference in the UCT scores between the 3 successive applications for the second group. Conclusion: The effectiveness of omalizumab treatment in chronic urticaria patients with an UCT was investigated in this study. Omalizumab proved to be an effective treatment option in chronic urticaria patients.

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