Clinical and therapeutical aspects of cold urticaria (urticaria a frigore).

A new drug with inhibitory properties on the Mast Cell degranulation, Ketotifen, was administered in 87 patients suffering from idiopathic urticaria a frigore (iUF). The first group (A), with 52 patients effectuated prophylactic management for 4 months with Ketotifen (K) (2 mg/day) and Clemastine (C) (2 mg/day) according to the double blind crossover method. Both the drugs were administrated in stages of 2 months each. The second group (B), with 35 patients (having previously failed a prophylactic attempt with Cyproheptadine) received only K, for two months. The results of group. A were favourable (clinical improvements over 50%) in 86.6% of the patients treated with K and in 50% of the patients treated with C. The mention is made that 36.6% from favourable results obtained with C in the second stage, appeared as a continuation of the improvements determined by K in the first stage. The lowering of the skin response to Cold Test (CT) was obtained in 55.8% of the patients treated with K and only in 7.6% of them who received C. Group B obtained favourable clinical results in 62% cases and the diminution of CT in 42% cases. Finally a few lesser known clinical and aetiopathogenic aspects of iUF resulting from the analysis of the patients investigated are presented.