Parameters Linked With Higher Itch Severity in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria—Chronic Urticaria Registry Results

Stolz J. Salameh P. Asero R. Kocatürk E. Peter J. Grattan C. Herzog L.S. Muñoz M. Dissemond J. Staubach-Renz P. Bauer A. Thomsen S.F. Giménez-Arnau A.M. Puertolas M. Bocquet A. Makris M. Gregoriou S. Khoshkhui M. Kouzegaran S. van Doorn M.B.A. Kasperska-Zajac A. Gąsior M. Zając M. Latysheva E. Fomina D. Kovalkova E. Andrenova G. Sedova E. Vitchuk A. Bizjak M. Košnik M. Kulthanan K. Tuchinda P. Day C. Deetlefs M. Aulenbacher F. Weller K. Kolkhir P. Metz M. Pereira M.P.
September 2025 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice
2025 #13 Issue 9 2349 - 2360.e3 pp.

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.

Chronic pruritus , Chronic spontaneous urticaria , Depression , Health-related quality of life , Inflammation , Itch

Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи

Institute of Allergology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Immunology and Allergology, Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Berlin, Germany
Research Department, Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus
Clinical Epidemiology Department, Institut National de Santé Publique dÉpidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon
Ambulatorio di Allergologia, Clinica San Carlo, Paderno Dugnano, Milan, Italy
Department of Dermatology, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
Division of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Allergy and Immunology Unit, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
St Johns Institute of Dermatology, Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Department of Dermatology, Venerology, and Allergology, University of Essen, Essen, Germany
Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
Department of Dermatology, University Allergy Center, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Biomedical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
Department of Dermatology, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Universität Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France
Allergy Unit, Second Department of Dermatology and Venereology, National and Kapodistrian University, University General Hospital Attikon, Athens, Greece
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, First Department of Dermatology, Andreas Sygros Hospital, Athens, Greece
Allergy Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Department of Dermatology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Centre for Human Drug Research, Leiden, Netherlands
European Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Urticaria, Medical University of Silesia, Silesia, Poland
Immunopathology Department, NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia, Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Immunology, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
Moscow Research and Clinical Center of Allergy and Immunology, City Clinical Hospital 52, Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Pulmonology, Astana Medical University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Department of Dermatology, Smolensk State Medical University, Smolensk, Russian Federation
University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases Golnik, Golnik, Slovenia
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Institute of Allergology
Immunology and Allergology
Research Department
Department of Primary Care and Population Health
Clinical Epidemiology Department
Ambulatorio di Allergologia
Department of Dermatology
Division of Allergology and Clinical Immunology
Allergy and Immunology Unit
St Johns Institute of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology
Department of Dermatology
Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology
Allergy Unit
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Allergy Research Center
Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Department of Dermatology
Centre for Human Drug Research
European Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Urticaria
Immunopathology Department
Department of Immunology
Moscow Research and Clinical Center of Allergy and Immunology
Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology
Department of Pulmonology
Department of Dermatology
University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases Golnik
Faculty of Medicine
Department of Dermatology

10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель

Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026