Autologous serum therapy in chronic urticaria patients

Background: Chronic urticaria is very common distressing dermatoses. CU is caused by autoimmune mechanisms in approximately 30-50% of patients. Repeated injection of autologous whole blood or autologous serum, a form of therapy also known as autohaemotherapy, can be very effective in CAU patients. Aim was to assess the effectiveness of autologous serum therapy in chronic urticaria patients. Methods: All patients with CU attending the dermatology OPD of age >18 years, and urticaria of duration >6 weeks. After autologous serum skin test, autologous serum therapy was administered using autologous serum in a dose of 0.05 ml per kg body weight, injected IM in gluteus muscle weekly for nine weeks in all patients. Parameters of disease activity and severity were recorded at baseline and every week during treatment. End point of study was improvement in chronic modified urticaria total severity score after ninth dose of AST which was recorded at baseline and at 10th week. Results: Mean of MUTSS for ASST positive group and ASST negative group was 13.27±2.050 and 12.04±3.212 respectively which is statistically significant (p=0.043). Mean MUTSS post treatment in ASST positive group was 3.87±4.57 whereas in negative group it was 6.46±4.418 which was statistically significant (p=0.019). Conclusions: 42.3% patients of chronic urticaria were of autoimmune type and approximately half of them responded well to autologous serum therapy. This study found that serum therapy is effective in ASST positive patients with CU.