Patient profile and clinical outcome of a population with chronic urticaria

Abstract

In spite of therapeutic breakthroughs, chronic urticaria is one of the most frequent skin conditions. Objective: assess patient profile and clinical outcome of a population with chronic urticaria seen in a specialist facility. Sample and methods: Cross-sectional, observational study of patients seen in a specialist outpatient facility during the period 1993-2005. Patients with acute urticaria and dermatographism were excluded. Age, sex, etiology, clinical outcome, and treatment were the variables analyzed. Results: Mean age was 36.8 years (standard deviation 18.4 years), with 207 (83.1%) patients over 18 years old. 186 (74.7%) patients were female and 63 (25.3%) males. 167 patients (67.1%) were followed up, with a median of two subsequent consultations. Of these, 84 (50.3%) improved clinically, 79 (47.3%) stopped treatment and reported partial improvement, and 4 (2.4%) stopped treatment without any clinical improvement. In 170 (68.3%) no specific etiology was found. Of the 79 patients (31.7%) with a specific etiology for their chronic urticaria, 32 (40.5%) had an abnormality in the laboratory investigation of the thyroid function. Conclusion: The epidemiologic profile of our patients is in accordance with literature data, with a predominance of adult females and a high proportion of treatment interruption or interruption with partial improvement.