Clinical Predictors of Disease Progression in New-Onset Urticaria / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is considered a different disease entity from acute urticaria in relation to its pathogenesis, despite both disease types having similar clinical manifestations that include wheals, flares, and angioedema. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify the clinical factors that might predict the disease course of new-onset urticaria, determine whether the disease will be limited to an acute course or if it will progress to a chronic course, and to estimate the chronic progression rate in relation to the presence of each clinical factor and laboratory abnormality. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 348 patients with new-onset urticaria. Of these, 141 patients had progressed to chronic disease and 207 patients showed a limited to acute course with disease durations of less than 6 weeks. We compared the progressed to chronic and limited to acute disease groups in relation to differences in their clinical presentations and severities, and the laboratory data. RESULTS: The overall chronic progression rate of new-onset urticaria was 40.5%. The chronic progression rate was highest in patients aged 30~39 years (52.3%), in patients prescribed antihistamines (52.9%), and when the cause of urticaria was unknown (51.8%). The laboratory test results did not differ significantly between the study groups. CONCLUSION: Patients with new-onset urticaria are likely to have chronic courses when they are aged 30~39 years, when they have mild clinical symptoms initially, and when the cause of urticaria is difficult to identify.