The relationship between chronic urticaria severity and anxiety level

The Relationship Between Chronic Urticaria Severity and Anxiety Level Objective: In this study, it was aimed to reveal the relationship between age, gender, disease duration, laboratory test parameters, treatment and disease severity factors and anxiety level in adult patients suffering from Chronic Urticaria by using psychometric scales. Material and Method: This study was carried out in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University between October 2023 and December 2023. Among the patients followed up in this outpatient clinic, patients aged 18 years and older with chronic urticaria were included in the study. The age, gender and duration of the disease in months of the patients included in the study were recorded. In accordance with the opinions of those who argue that routine laboratory examinations are unnecessary in investigating the etiology of chronic urticaria, routine laboratory examinations were not requested in the patients who were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment they were receiving. The first group consisted of patients who used only single or dual oral antihistamines. The second group included patients who did not respond to such treatment and therefore had to use other drugs. Findings: In our study, which included 45 patients aged between 18 and 67 years with a mean age of 38.5 (SD ± 12.1) years, 36 (80.0%) were female and 9 (20.0%) were male. Although the disease duration of the patients ranged from 3 to 180 months, the mean disease duration was 30.0 (SD ± 37.7) months. Anamnesis and physical examination findings did not suggest any etiological cause in 28 (62.2%) of the patients. Some laboratory tests were investigated according to the anamnesis and physical examination findings of the other 17 (37.8%) patients. As a result of the research, blood T4 level was found to be high in only one patient. Only oral antihistamine was used in 32 (71.1%) patients as a treatment method; 18 (40%) patients received single oral antihistamine therapy and 14 (31.1%) patients received dual oral antihistamine therapy. In the remaining 13 (28.9%) patients, there was no response to oral antihistamine therapy and other drugs were used for therapeutic purposes. In our study, the seven-day urticaria pruritus score ranged from 0-21 and the mean was 8.6 (SD ±5.6); the seven-day urticaria relief score ranged from 0 to 18 and had a mean of 6.4 (SD ±4.6); The seven-day urticaria activity score, which is the sum of pruritus and fluff scores, ranged from 0 to 34 and had a mean of 15.1 (SD ±9.6); The Beck anxiety score ranged from 3 to 34 and the mean was 16.6 (SD ±9.2). In our study, there was a highly significant, and robust, positive correlation between the Beck anxiety score and the duration of urticaria and the seven-day urticaria activity score. Conclusion: Psychiatric disorders are frequently seen in patients with Chronic Urticaria. This underscores the need for a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach that includes prompt recognition and management of any potential psychiatric disorder in addition to urticaria treatment. In our study, it was found that there was a significant relationship between urticaria activity score and seven-day urticaria activity score and Beck anxiety score in patients with Chronic Urticaria. Further studies are needed to assess whether psychiatric disorders occur independently of Chronic Urticaria or after the onset of urticaria, and whether any psychological or psychiatric interventions can be helpful in controlling Chronic Urticaria. Keywords: Urticaria, Urticaria Activity, Beck Anxiety, Seven-Day Urticaria Activity