TY - JOUR
T1 - Parameters Linked With Higher Itch Severity in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria—Chronic Urticaria Registry Results
AU - Stolz, Jules
AU - Salameh, Pascale
AU - Asero, Riccardo
AU - Kocatürk, Emek
AU - Peter, Jonny
AU - Grattan, Clive
AU - Herzog, Leonie Shirin
AU - Muñoz, Melba
AU - Dissemond, Joachim
AU - Staubach-Renz, Petra
AU - Bauer, Andrea
AU - Thomsen, Simon Francis
AU - Giménez-Arnau, Ana M.
AU - Puertolas, Maria
AU - Bocquet, Alexis
AU - Makris, Michael
AU - Gregoriou, Stamatios
AU - Khoshkhui, Maryam
AU - Kouzegaran, Samaneh
AU - van Doorn, Martijn Bastiaan Adriaan
AU - Kasperska-Zajac, Alicja
AU - Gąsior, Maciej
AU - Zając, Magdalena
AU - Latysheva, Elena
AU - Fomina, Daria
AU - Kovalkova, Elena
AU - Andrenova, Gerelma
AU - Sedova, Elizaveta
AU - Vitchuk, Alexandr
AU - Bizjak, Mojca
AU - Košnik, Mitja
AU - Kulthanan, Kanokvalai
AU - Tuchinda, Papapit
AU - Day, Cascia
AU - Deetlefs, Mimi
AU - Aulenbacher, Felix
AU - Weller, Karsten
AU - Kolkhir, Pavel
AU - Metz, Martin
AU - Pereira, Manuel Pedro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Authors
PY - 2025/9
Y1 - 2025/9
N2 - Background: Itch is the most bothersome symptom in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and severely affects quality of life. Objective: To analyze factors associated with itch severity, and how itch is associated with quality of life and health care use in CSU. Methods: We retrieved patient data from the Chronic Urticaria Registry. Patients were categorized by self-reported itch severity (recall period of 7 days). We used ordinal logistic regressions as well as negative binomial and gamma regressions with log link to investigate possible associations. Results: A total of 3,045 patients, 74.3% female, mean age 44.4 years, with no, mild, moderate, or intense itch (16.4%, 25.2%, 32.5%, and 25.9%, respectively) were included. A higher itch rating was associated with symptomatic dermographism (odds ratio [OR] = 1.25; P = .027), malaise (OR = 1.43; P < .001), depression (OR = 1.46; P = .008), and laboratory signs of inflammation (ie, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (OR = 1.57; P = .031) and leukocyte counts (OR = 2.37; P = .004)). Intense itch was associated with worse quality of life (Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire; P < .001) and more patients visiting a general practitioner, allergologist or dermatologist, and the emergency room (P < .001). Conclusions: Higher itch levels are associated with inflammation and depression and are linked to worse quality of life and increased health care demand. Addressing itch is crucial to reducing the humanistic and societal burden in CSU.
AB - Background: Itch is the most bothersome symptom in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and severely affects quality of life. Objective: To analyze factors associated with itch severity, and how itch is associated with quality of life and health care use in CSU. Methods: We retrieved patient data from the Chronic Urticaria Registry. Patients were categorized by self-reported itch severity (recall period of 7 days). We used ordinal logistic regressions as well as negative binomial and gamma regressions with log link to investigate possible associations. Results: A total of 3,045 patients, 74.3% female, mean age 44.4 years, with no, mild, moderate, or intense itch (16.4%, 25.2%, 32.5%, and 25.9%, respectively) were included. A higher itch rating was associated with symptomatic dermographism (odds ratio [OR] = 1.25; P = .027), malaise (OR = 1.43; P < .001), depression (OR = 1.46; P = .008), and laboratory signs of inflammation (ie, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (OR = 1.57; P = .031) and leukocyte counts (OR = 2.37; P = .004)). Intense itch was associated with worse quality of life (Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire; P < .001) and more patients visiting a general practitioner, allergologist or dermatologist, and the emergency room (P < .001). Conclusions: Higher itch levels are associated with inflammation and depression and are linked to worse quality of life and increased health care demand. Addressing itch is crucial to reducing the humanistic and societal burden in CSU.
KW - Chronic pruritus
KW - Chronic spontaneous urticaria
KW - Depression
KW - Health-related quality of life
KW - Inflammation
KW - Itch
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105008542645
U2 - 10.1016/j.jaip.2025.05.033
DO - 10.1016/j.jaip.2025.05.033
M3 - Article
C2 - 40447048
AN - SCOPUS:105008542645
SN - 2213-2198
VL - 13
SP - 2349-2360.e3
JO - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice
JF - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice
IS - 9
ER -