Quality of life in adults with chronic idiopathic urticaria receiving desloratadine: a randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of desloratadine on quality of life (QoL) in chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU).

STUDY POPULATION

Patients with a history of CIU (pruritus and weals lasting = 6 weeks) were included in this multicentre, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study that took place in dermatology centres throughout France. During the study, patients were randomized to receive desloratadine 5 mg daily or placebo for 42 days.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Variation of the scores of two QoL dermatology-specific tools between baseline and day 42, the French translation version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the VQ-Dermato (a French-language scoring instrument).

RESULTS

The intent-to-treat population comprised 137 patients [desloratadine (n = 65) or placebo (n = 72)]. Desloratadine treatment was associated with significantly greater improvements from baseline to day 42 compared with placebo in DLQI overall score (-6 vs. -2.2 points; P < 0.002) and VQ-Dermato score (18.5 vs. 29.1 points; P = 0.009). Mean scores for sleep disruption and disruption of daily activities were significantly lower in the desloratadine group than in the placebo group from day 1 to the end of the study.

CONCLUSIONS

Desloratadine 5 mg/day was associated with significant improvements in two separate dermatology-specific measures of QoL in patients with CIU. QoL proved to be a relevant primary outcome measure for therapeutic trials in CIU.