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Giornale Italiano di Dermatologia e Venereologia 2009 June;144(3):297-311

Copyright © 2009 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Italian position paper on urticaria

Pigatto P. D. ¹, Marsili C. B. ¹, Ayala F. ², Depità O. ³, Gelmetti C. ⁴, Giannetti A. ⁵, Girolomoni G. ⁶, Vena G. A. ⁷, Cassano N. ⁷, Ayala F. ⁸

¹ Department for Health Technologies IRCCS R. Galeazzi Hospital, Milan, Italy 2 Unit of Dermatology, Department of Systemic Pathology Federico II University, Naples, Italy 3 Immunology and Allergology Laboratory IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy 4 Dermatological Sciences Institute Policlinic Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Milan, Italy 5 Department of Dermatology University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy 6 Unit of Dermatology Department of Biomedical Sciences and Surgery University of Verona, Verona, Italy 7 Second Dermatological Clinic MIDIM, University of Bari, Bari, Italy 8 National Cancer Institute “G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy

The Italian Board on Urticaria has prepared a document focusing on the definition and classification of urticaria, taking into account the recent progress in identifying the causes, eliciting factors, and pathomechanisms of this disease. As urticaria has a profound impact on the quality of life, effective treatment is important. Therefore, specific treatment options for the management of urticaria are evaluated on the basis of the recent literature. Non-sedating H1 antihistamines are recommended as the first-line treatment as they have proven effective in several randomized double-blind controlled studies. Dosages higher than those recommended may be necessary in some cases. However, additional or alternative therapies may be required for different urticaria subtypes and in view of individual variations in the course of the disease and response to treatment. Immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids are not recommended for long-term treatment due to unavoidable, severe adverse effects.