Treatment of chronic urticaria.

Abstract

Second-generation antihistamines are unquestionably the first-line treatment for chronic urticaria and can be used at higher than licensed doses if normal doses fail to control the disease. A short course of oral corticosteroids should be considered for patients not responding to antihistamines before trying other immunosuppressive drugs. Ciclosporin is effective in most antihistamine-resistant patients who require long-term corticosteroid treatments to control their disease. Omalizumab is effective in most subsets of chronic urticaria sufferers who do not respond to other treatments but its high cost represents a limitation to its widespread use.

• Authors: Riccardo Asero, Alberto Tedeschi, Massimo Cugno
• Journal: Immunology and allergy clinics of North America (Immunol Allergy Clin North Am) Vol. 34 Issue 1 Pg. 105-16 (Feb 2014) ISSN: 1557-8607 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24262692 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Chronic Disease
• Humans
• Urticaria (drug therapy)