RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Urticaria affects 0.5 to 1 percent of the population at any given time. Treatments include nonsedative antihistamines, autologous serum therapy, and injected histaglobulin. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety of injected histaglobulin with autologous serum therapy in chronic urticaria. METHODS: This was a hospital-based prospective study performed in the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot, India. A total of 96 patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria were enrolled after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria and were divided into two groups of 48 patients each using an envelope method. Autologous serum skin tests were performed in each patient irrespective of their group assignment. Group A then received injected histaglobulin and Group B received autologous serum therapy (AST). Patient were evaluated using the Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) every week for six weeks, with follow-up conducted at three and six weeks after the completion of treatment. The Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life of the study participants. RESULTS: Out of the 96 initially enrolled patients, 62 completed the six weeks of treatment and two follow-up visits. Twenty patients dropped out due to remission and 14 patients left the study for other reasons. Reductions in UAS values occurred in both the groups by the end of follow-up but were more significant in Group A. Improvement in quality of life scores was also greater in Group A. Recurrence occurred in both groups after treatment cessation but was less common in Group A. CONCLUSION: Both treatments were validated for treating chronic urticaria; however, injected histaglobulin showed statistically more consequential results than AST.
