Acrivastine versus hydroxyzine in the treatment of cholinergic urticaria. A placebo-controlled study.

Ten patients with cholinergic urticaria (CU) were entered into a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. They were scheduled to receive acrivastine 8 mg t.d.s., hydroxyzine hydrochloride 20 mg t.d.s. and placebo according to a fully randomized, balanced treatment plan. Subjective clinical assessments and objective measurements following exercise challenge were performed during the study period. Both acrivastine and hydroxyzine were shown to be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of cholinergic urticaria. In addition, a trend was demonstrated for both active agents to improve peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) following exercise, when compared with placebo, and this trend reached statistical significance in the case of acrivastine (p less than 0.05).