Impact of Contact Sensitization in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Fortythree subjects with severe CIU were patch tested. Nickel sulphate was positive in 4 (9.3%) cases, potassium dichromate in 2 (4.7%) cases, cobalt, balsam of Peru, paraphenylene diamine, fragrance mix and epoxy resin were positive in 1 (2.3%) case. Their baseline CUSS (5.4 ± 0.5) improved significantly after 1 month of allergen avoidance (3.2 ± 1.1; P < 0.001); but similar improvement of CUSS (5.3 ± 0.5) was seen in 34 patients with CIU with negative patch test (3.2 ± 1.3; P < 0.001) and in 49 patients with CIU of control group (5.2 ± 0.4 to 3.4 ± 1.3; P < 0 < 0.001) after 1 month. Conclusions: There is no relationship between avoidance of contact allergens and the course of CIU.