Mesalazine as a new therapeutic option for chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Background: Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), a debilitating condition, is defined as having urticaria for at least 6 weeks without any obvious cause. Antihistamines and steroids are popular treatments, but other alternatives have been evaluated. Mesalazine may be effective in CIU according to its anti-inflammatory properties via inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase, cycloxygenases, nuclear factor-kappa B activation, T lymphocyte proliferation and antigen stimulated histamine release. Methods: Mesalazine was administered to 33 patients with CIU, starting at 500 mg/day with weekly incremental dosing to a total of 1 g/day. The patients' dermatology life quality index (DLQI) and symptom scores were recorded before and after 8 weeks of treatment. Screening laboratory tests before and during treatment period were performed. Results: Mesalazine induced a statistically significant decrease in DLQI in 22 (66%) of 33 patients. It is also effective in reducing symptom score in at least half of the patients. The success of treatment was not related to age, sex, drug history and atopy, but was related to duration of the disease in reverse. Conclusions: Mesalazine seems to be a safe and effective therapy for CIU in reducing DLQI and symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]