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Utility of routine laboratory testing in management of chronic urticaria/angioedema

James A Tarbox1, Ravi C Gutta, Cristine Radojicic

  • 1Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.

Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology : Official Publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
|August 31, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Routine laboratory tests for chronic urticaria/angioedema (CUA) patients rarely yield abnormal results that change management or improve care outcomes. Most tests in CUA evaluations are unremarkable.

Area of Science:

  • Allergy and Immunology
  • Clinical Medicine
  • Diagnostic Testing

Background:

  • Chronic urticaria/angioedema (CUA) evaluations frequently involve laboratory tests.
  • Typically, these diagnostic tests yield normal or unremarkable results for CUA patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of abnormal laboratory test results in CUA patients.
  • To assess if abnormal results lead to changes in patient management or improved care outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of adult CUA patients from 2001-2009.
  • Examined a random sample of patients undergoing allergy and immunology evaluations.

Main Results:

  • Of 1,872 tests ordered, 17% were abnormal, most commonly in complete blood counts (34%).
  • Only 1.6% of tests prompted further investigation, and just one patient experienced a management change.
  • The majority of patients (69.1%) were women, with a mean age of 48 years.

Conclusions:

  • Laboratory testing in CUA patients undergoing allergy and immunology evaluations infrequently leads to actionable management changes.
  • Current laboratory testing protocols for CUA may not significantly impact patient outcomes.
Abstract

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