Treatment satisfaction in chronic urticaria during guideline-based therapy

Abstract

Background and objectives: Patients with chronic urticaria are often unsatisfied with their treatment. We aimed to assess patient satisfaction, chronic urticaria control, treatment goals, self-treatment competence, knowledge, and factors influencing treatment satisfaction. Patients and methods: Eighty-seven adult patients with chronic urticaria who were previously insufficiently treated with oral antihistamines received guideline-based care for six months and completed questionnaires. Results: This study included patients with chronic spontaneous (80 %) and/or inducible urticaria (CIndU, 32 %). Significant median improvements were observed with the urticaria control test (UCT, from 7 to 11), the urticaria activity score for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (from 19 to 10), and treatment satisfaction (from 5.2 to 8.4). Six significant, independent factors of treatment satisfaction after six months of treatment were identified (negative: male sex, CIndU, sleep disturbances; positive: UCT, baseline treatment satisfaction, perceived competence of the study physician). Adequate urticaria control (UCT ≥ 12) was achieved in 19 % of patients with CIndU and 61 % of patients without CIndU. Conclusions: In patients with chronic urticaria who were previously insufficiently treated with antihistamines, six months of guideline-based therapy significantly improved disease control and treatment satisfaction. Adequate control requires several consultations for many patients and is considerably more difficult to achieve for CIndU.