Evaluation of Bilastine's Efficacy and Safety in Treating Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria in Iraqi Patients.

Abstract

Background: Many drugs have been found to be effective in treating chronic urticaria, and many others are under investigation. Second-generation antihistamines are the first-line treatment for this condition, as they block peripheral histamine receptors with minimal drowsiness and anticholinergic effects. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of bilastine in Iraqi patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted at Dermatology Unit/ AL-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital/ Iraq during the period from January to June 2023. A total of 100 patients, 50 males and 50 females, were enrolled in this study. All these patients were switched over to Bilastine 20 mg/day for one month. The patients were evaluated using the UAS7 scoring system before and one month after bilastine therapy. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, and a paired t-test was used to compare between means. The level of statistical significance was considered at a P value < 0.05.

Results: The mean UAS7 score before Bilastine treatment was 18.91 ±7.18, which was significantly reduced (P < 0.001) to 2.38 ±0.72 after one month of treatment with bilastine. Also, before Bilastine treatments, 19 patients (19%) had mild symptoms, 24 patients (24%) had moderate symptoms, and 57 patients (57%) had severe symptoms. However, after treatment, 51 patients (51%) became symptom-free and 49 patients (49%) had well-controlled urticaria.

Conclusion: Switching over to bilastine 20mg/day resulted in significant improvement in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria who had no/ or poor response to conventional antihistamines.