What lessons can we learn? Clinical and epidemiological retrospective analysis of 267 patients with urticaria in a Brazilian tertiary center

Criado, Roberta Fachini Jardim; Criado, Paulo Ricardo; Baldavira, Nathalia; Cardial, Débora; Giménez Arnau, Anna Maria; Machado Filho, Carlos D'Apparecida

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.abd.2020.12.003

What lessons can we learn? Clinical and epidemiological retrospective analysis of 267 patients with urticaria in a Brazilian tertiary center

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Criado RFJ, Criado PR, Baldavira N, Cardial D, Gimenez-Arnau AM, Machado Filho CD. What lessons can we learn? Clinical and epidemiological retrospective analysis of 267 patients with urticaria in a Brazilian tertiary center. An Bras Dermatol. 2021;96(4):436-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.abd.2020.12.003

Abstract

Background: There are few epidemiological studies of urticaria, published in the indexed literature (PubMed/Medline). Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical data among patients with urticaria/angioedema attending a reference clinic in Brazil. Methods: Two hundred sixty-seven patients were evaluated retrospectively considering demographic data, time course of the disease, triggering symptoms, the presence of angioedema, complementary laboratory tests including total blood count, reactive-C protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, IgE serum levels, and other, as necessary. Results: The most commonly diagnosed type of urticaria was chronic spontaneous urticaria (56.93%). Angioedema was associated with chronic urticaria in 108 patients (40.08%). Study limitations: Unicentered and retrospective. Conclusion: Some relevant findings in this study are the observation of a female prevalence of cases (4-females: 1-man), a result more elevated than demonstrated in previous studies in Europe and Asia, the median age was 43-years old and the delay of time between the diagnosis of urticaria and the admission for treatment in a specialized center was approximately 2-years. Other multicenter studies can better establish these differences in Brazilian patients.