[Chronic urticaria from the aspect of autoimmune diseases]

At some time in their lives one in a five persons is affected by urticaria and/or angioedema. The cause of urticaria may never be found in up to one quarter of patients with acute urticaria and in up to 90-95% with chronic urticaria. In this study we present results of our compounded approach (clinical follow up, laboratory findings, allergological testing) to patients with chronic urticaria and autoimmune diseases that progressed into chronic urticaria or started before the onset of the chronic urticaria. Our first case was a 56 year old woman with a 10 month history of chronic urticaria, angioedema and chronic gastritis before the diagnoses of insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus and Hypothyreoidismus primarius were established. Allergological testing reveals specific clinical significant immediate reaction to Balsam Peru. After adequate substitutional therapy was advocated and with specific clinical avoidance of offended allergen, remission was obtained. The second case was a 46 year old female suffering from chronic urticaria (with clinical features of urticaria like vasculitis) associated with hypocomplementemia (particularly C4 depressed) with negative antinuclear antibodies but positive circulating immune complexes after a 2 year follow up the patient developed Systemic lupus erythematosus. The third case was a 63 year old woman who developed chronic urticaria 3 years after total thyroidectomy, with pathological finding of Thyroiditis lymphocytaria-Hashimoto; after the allergological testing, positive lymphocyte transformation test revealed allergical sensitization to Vobenol was substituted with Thyvoral, complete remission was obtained.