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Prevalence and clinical characteristics of chronic spontaneous urticaria in pediatric patients

Maria-Magdalena Balp1, Karsten Weller2, Veruska Carboni3

  • 1Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland.

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology : Official Publication of the European Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
|April 22, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) affects 0.75% of children in Europe, with many experiencing uncontrolled symptoms despite current treatments. There

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dermatology
  • Allergy and Immunology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Limited data exists on the prevalence and management of chronic urticaria (CU) and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in children.
  • This study addresses the scarcity of information by investigating CU and CSU prevalence and disease management in pediatric patients aged 0-17 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the prevalence of chronic urticaria (CU) and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in pediatric populations across five European countries.
  • To evaluate current disease management strategies and treatment patterns for pediatric CU and CSU patients.
  • To identify unmet needs in the treatment of inadequately controlled pediatric CSU.

Main Methods:

  • A physician-based online survey was conducted in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and Spain.
  • The survey collected data on the annual diagnosed prevalence, disease characteristics, and treatment patterns of CU and CSU in pediatric patients.
  • Prevalence estimates were calculated based on physician responses and extrapolated to the total pediatric population of each country.

Main Results:

  • The one-year diagnosed prevalence of CU in pediatric patients was 1.38%, and CSU was 0.75% across five European countries.
  • Angioedema was reported in 6%-14% of pediatric patients.
  • A significant proportion of pediatric CSU patients (approximately 1/3) remained uncontrolled despite treatment with H1-antihistamines at approved or higher doses. Oral corticosteroids (10%-28%) and topical creams (15%-26%) were frequently used.

Conclusions:

  • The prevalence of pediatric CSU is comparable to that in adults, indicating a substantial patient population.
  • There is a clear unmet need for approved and effective treatments for pediatric CSU patients with inadequately controlled symptoms.
  • The frequent use of oral steroids or topical creams highlights a gap in guideline-recommended, effective treatment alternatives for pediatric CSU.
Abstract

Keywords:
Europeangioedemachronic spontaneous urticariachronic urticariapediatricprevalencetreatment patterns

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