Analysis of the Effect of Oral Antihistamines in Patients with Chronic Urticaria in Terms of the Disease Outcome and Quality of Life

Lee, Eun Ah; Kim, Hei Sung; Lee, Jun Young; Kim, Hyung Ok; Park, Young Min

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Chronic urticaria (CU) has a considerable influence on the well-being of patients and it has a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL). Oral antihistamines are commonly used as the first-line treatment for CU. Although the efficacy and safety of antihistamines are well established for treating CU, a responder-based analysis to identify the improvement of symptoms and QOL has not yet been performed for Korean patients. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the baseline urticaria severity score and the QOL with those after antihistamines treatment, and to assess the clinical outcome of CU after long-term antihistamine treatment.
METHODS
A total of 103 CU patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about the effect of CU on their QOL at their first visit. Both the urticaria severity score and QOL were determined before and after a 6-month period, during which time the patients were administered a regular antihistamine prescription. QOL was assessed using a modified version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The clinical efficacy was measured at baseline and at all visits.
RESULTS
Oral antihistamines significantly improved the total QOL scores after 6-months treatment (p<0.05). The QOL dimensions that showed a statistically significant difference before and after antihistamine treatment were the mental status, daily living activities, leisure activities, self perceptions and social functions. The urticaria severity score values were positively correlated with QOL impairment for the CU patients. Also, the changes in the QOL following antihistamine treatment were reflected by the changes observed in the urticaria severity score. After taking oral antihistamines for 6 months, 65 patients (63.1%) stated that the urticaria had improved, and 43.1% of those patients had > or =75% reduction of symptoms from baseline.
CONCLUSION
Our data highlights the importance of continuous antihistamine treatment for the management of CU. Oral antihistamines, when taken regularly, can improve the QOL and urticaria severity of CU patients.