Factors associated with the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria in children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in children is a common skin disorder, but its clinical course varies. We investigated the clinical course and associated factors for CSU treatment in children. METHODS: A total of 107 children, diagnosed with CSU from 2001 to 2016 in Dong-A University Hospital, who had been followed up for more than 6 months after treatment, were enrolled. The laboratory findings, and clinical aspects and courses were retrospectively investigated by a medical record review. We divided the 152 patients into 3 groups according to the treatment modalities group 1, 1 antihistamine; group 2, more than 2 kinds of antihistamines; and group 3, antihistamines plus leukotriene receptor antagonist. RESULTS: The mean age of patients in group 3 was 3.4 years (range, 2.6–4.2 years), which was significantly lower than those at the other 2 group patients (P=0.01). The urticaria activity score (UAS) of group 3 (6.1 [5.7–6.6]) was significantly higher compared to those of the other 2 groups (P=0.01). The improvement rate of the condition in children with positive specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) reactivity to food or inhalant allergens was significantly lower than that of children with negative sIgE reactivity (P=0.01). Sex, age, history of allergic diseases, disease duration, UAS, previous treatment, and treatment modality were not correlated with the symptom improvement rate. CONCLUSION: Younger children and those with higher UAS needed more medication to ensure the improvement in symptoms. Moreover, it took more time for the improvement in symptoms in children who were sensitized to food or inhalant allergens.