Chronic spontaneous urticaria activity, impact and control as well as their changes are strongly linked, and these links are not affected by angioedema or comorbid inducible urticaria - Results from the validation of the Polish Urticaria Control Test.

BACKGROUND

Monitoring the effects of treatment on disease activity, impact, and control in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is essential. We do not have enough information on how these features of CSU and its response to treatment are linked. Also, there is no information on how recurrent angioedema or coexisting chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU) affect their relation. The aim of this study was to analyse the link between disease activity, impact, and control in CSU patients and possible effects of recurrent angioedema and comorbid CIndU.

METHODS

To perform these analyses, we validated the Polish version of the Urticaria Control Test (UCT) in 106 chronic urticaria patients. The relationship between CSU activity, impact, and control was assessed in regard to recurrent angioedema and coexisting CIndU.

RESULTS

The Polish UCT showed high levels of validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change. Disease activity, impact, and control as well as their changes, assessed by the UAS, the CU-QoL, and the UCT, respectively, were strongly correlated. Recurrent angioedema or comorbid CIndU did not significantly affect the link of CSU activity, impact, and control or the relation of their changes.

CONCLUSIONS

In CSU, there is a strong, albeit not perfect correlation of disease activity, impact, and control, which underlines the need to assess all 3 features of the disease in routine clinical practice. Recurrent angioedema and comorbid CIndU, which are both common and relevant in CSU, do not affect how disease activity, impact and control in patients with CSU are related to each other.