Latest news with #chronicspontaneousurticaria
Medscape
03-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Can Periostin Serve as a Biomarker for Pediatric Urticaria?
TOPLINE: Children with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) had significantly lower serum periostin levels than those without the condition. These levels did not correlate with disease activity, however. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to compare serum periostin levels between children with CSU and peers without the condition. They recruited 84 children (median age, 9 years; 58.3% girls) with CSU — all receiving antihistamines — from an outpatient clinic between April 2018 and April 2019. The control children did not have any known allergic, dermatologic, or chronic systemic conditions. TAKEAWAY: Mean serum periostin levels were significantly lower in the CSU group than in controls (56.41 ng/mL vs 71.68; P = .001). Among children with CSU, those receiving a leukotriene receptor antagonist had significantly lower periostin levels than those not receiving that class of medication (44.32 vs 61.33 ng/mL; P = .009). Serum periostin levels showed no significant correlation with disease activity, as measured using Urticaria Activity Score-7 and Urticaria Control Test scores. IN PRACTICE: 'Serum periostin may provide insight into the immunological mechanisms underlying CSU in children,' the authors of the study wrote. 'Its potential utility should be further explored in longitudinal and interventional studies.' SOURCE: Gokce Velioglu Haslak, MD, with the Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on June 24 in International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design, small sample size, and a lack of standard pediatric periostin reference ranges complicated interpretation of the results. DISCLOSURES: The authors reported having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Medscape
19-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Calculator Predicts Antihistamine Response in Urticaria
Researchers validated a prognostic calculator that uses six readily available variables to predict which patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are likely to respond to antihistamine therapy. METHODOLOGY: The tool considers age, angioedema, anxiety/depression, disease duration, hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and the Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) to predict response to treatment. To assess its accuracy, the researchers conducted a prospective cohort study involving 542 patients with CSU from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina. The calculator stratified patients as having a high or low probability of responding to antihistamines. The researchers used the 7-day UAS to determine clinical response, with a score of 6 or less indicating control of the disease. TAKEAWAY: The prognostic model had 78.6% accuracy, the researchers reported. It correctly predicted 82.9% of the nonresponders and 72.7% of the responders. The type of antihistamine used did not affect the performance of the model, the researchers found. Medications used in the study included loratadine, cetirizine, levocetirizine, desloratadine, fexofenadine, and bilastine. IN PRACTICE: 'Predicting the clinical response can help to promptly identify patients who could benefit from the use of alternative therapies and avoid prolonged times when evaluating anti-H1 [antihistamine] therapeutic response (eg, start immediately with the highest dose and prioritize clinical appointment in a few weeks),' the study authors wrote. SOURCE: Jorge Sánchez, MD, PhD, with the University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia, was the corresponding author of the study, which was published online on June 4 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. LIMITATIONS: The study did not include children. The calculator needs to be validated on other continents, the authors said. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by the University of Antioquia and Alma Mater de Antioquia Hospital. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
