"Chronic urticaria and obstructive sleep apnea: Is there a significant association?"

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Dermatology
• Public Health

Background:

• Limited research exists on the connection between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic urticaria (CU).
• This study investigates the prevalence of OSA risk categories in CU patients and their correlation with patient-reported outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of OSA risk categories among Latin American CU patients.
• To analyze the correlation between OSA risk (using STOP-Bang) and CU severity (UAS7, UCT, CU-Q2oL).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study of 171 Latin American CU patients.
• Utilized descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, Cramer's V, and Kendall-Tau b correlation coefficients.
• Assessed OSA risk via the STOP-Bang questionnaire and CU outcomes via UAS7, UCT, and CU-Q2oL.

Main Results:

• 24% and 21% of CU patients were at intermediate and high risk for OSA, respectively.
• Strong associations were found between STOP-Bang risk categories and both UAS7 (Cramer's V=0.263) and UCT (Cramer's V=0.269).
• A weak positive correlation (τb=0.188) was observed between STOP-Bang score and CU-Q2oL, with 72.5% reporting sleep limitations.

Conclusions:

• A substantial proportion of CU patients are at intermediate to high risk for OSA.
• Higher CU activity, poorer control, and reduced quality of life are linked to increased OSA risk.
• Further research is warranted to clarify the OSA-CU link and evaluate potential benefits of OSA screening and treatment in CU patients.