ABSTRACT
Resumen La urticaria es un patrón distintivo de respuesta inflamatoria de piel y/o mucosas caracterizada por la aparición súbita de ronchas evanescentes, angioedema o ambos, asociados a prurito. Las formas agudas son frecuentes y se limitan a brotes de menos de 6 sema nas; mientras que las crónicas tienen una prevalencia menor al 1%, mayor duración y pueden ser espontáneas o inducibles. Los mecanismos etiopatogénicos involucrados en esta enfermedad incluyen la autoalergia, la autoinmunidad y la inflamación con la activación celular, principalmente del mastocito, lo que lleva a su degranulación con libe ración de mediadores vasoactivos. En su abordaje son fundamentales la confirmación diagnóstica; la búsqueda de indicadores de su etiopa togenia; la detección de cofactores que pueden modular su actividad; el reconocimiento de comorbilidades; la evaluación de posibles biomarcadores y, el impacto en la calidad de vida, el registro de la actividad y el control de la enfermedad. El manejo farmacológico tiene por objetivo controlar los síntomas, mientras la urticaria resuelve de forma espontánea. Este se describe de forma escalonada con una complejidad creciente.
Abstract Urticaria is a distinctive pattern of inflammatory re sponse of the skin and/or mucous membranes charac terized by the sudden appearance of vanishing wheals, angioedema, or both, associated with pruritus. Acute forms are frequent and limited to outbreaks of less than 6 weeks; while the chronic ones have a prevalence of less than 1%, longer duration and can be spontaneous or inducible. The etiopathogenic mechanisms involved in this disease include autoallergy, autoimmunity, and inflam mation with cell activation, mainly of the mast cell, leading to its degranulation with the release of vasoac tive mediators. Along its approach, diagnostic confirmation, search for indicators of its etiopathogenesis, detection of cofactors that can modulate its activity, recognition of comorbidi ties, evaluation of possible biomarkers and the assess ment of disease activity, impact and control are essential. The pharmacological management aims to control the symptoms, until the urticaria, which is self-resolv ing, is gone. This is described in a stepwise fashion with increasing complexity.
ABSTRACT
Abstract: Background: In spite of the frequency of chronic urticaria, there are no epidemiological studies on its prevalence in Argentina. Objective: The objective of this study was to define the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of chronic urticaria patients in Buenos Aires. Methods: The population studied were the members of the Italian Hospital Medical Care Program, a prepaid health maintenance organization located in the urban areas around the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. All patients with diagnosis of chronic urticaria members of the Italian Hospital Medical Care Program, and with at least 12 months of follow up were included in the study. All medical records obtained between January 1st, 2012 and December 31, 2014 were analyzed. The prevalence ratio for chronic urticaria per 100,000 population with 95% CI for December 31, 2014 was calculated. The prevalence rate for the entire population and then discriminated for adults and pediatric patients (less than 18 years old at diagnosis) was assessed. Results: 158,926 members were analyzed. A total of 463 cases of chronic urticaria were identified on prevalence date (68 in pediatrics, 395 in adults), yielding a crude point prevalence ratio of 0.29% (CI 95% 0.26-0.31%). The observed prevalence of chronic urticaria in the adult population was 0.34 % (95% CI 0.31-0.38%), while in pediatrics it was 0.15 % (95% CI 0.11-0.20%). Study limitations: the main weakness is that the results were obtained from an HMO and therefore the possibility of selection bias. Conclusions: chronic urticaria is a global condition. Its prevalence in Buenos Aires is comparable with other countries.