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TUESDAY, Feb. 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Omalizumab, alone or in combination with a short-term course of corticosteroids, is highly effective for the treatment of refractory chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), according to a study published online Feb. 5 in the International Journal of Dermatology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Nikolaos Syrigos, M.D., from Sotiria General Hospital in Athens, Greece, and colleagues retrospectively evaluated medical records from 20 patients (mean age 54.5 years; 75 percent women) with refractory CSU in order to assess correlations between demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics and omalizumab treatment outcomes.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that mean disease duration before omalizumab administration was 21.8 months. All patients responded favorably to omalizumab after one to five doses, with 85 percent of patients having a complete response. The remaining three patients had well-controlled disease after omalizumab treatment. In 30 percent of patients, the best response to omalizumab was achieved after interval administration of a nine-day course of methylprednisolone (total dose of 188 mg). A shorter disease duration before initiation of omalizumab was significantly correlated with late response to omalizumab (after three-month treatment).<\/p>\n
“In the present series, omalizumab, either alone or in combination with a short-term course of corticosteroids, was highly effective in resolution of refractory CSU,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Abstract<\/a><\/p>\n Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n