D1.351 - Chronic urticaria and autoimmunity: clinical, laboratory and molecular associations

The study aimed to determine the association between autoimmunity index and a variety of factors under the umbrella of chronic urticaria (CSU).

The participants were 40 patients with a diagnosis of CSU, recruited from an allergy clinic, who completed a series of questionnaires that recorded sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Extended blood tests were performed to further evaluate biomarkers in the peripheral blood of the patients. The autoimmunity index was measured by evaluation of ANA positive values. Chronic fatigue and other current and chronic diseases were assessed in order to measure the current clinical status of each patient. A variety of immunoglobulin index was measured so as to evaluate the immunological status.

Autoimmunity marker, using the ANA-positive 1/160 titer, appeared to be significantly correlated with HGB levels (p = 0.045). When we used the ANA-positive 1/320 titer, the marker was found to be statistically significantly correlated with chronic fatigue (p = 0.003), arthralgia-myalgia (p < 0.001), arthritis (p < 0.001) and IgE levels (p = 0.003).

The findings suggest that autoimmunity, as indicated by ANA positivity, is significantly correlated with specific clinical symptoms and immunological markers in patients with CSU. This highlights the potential role of autoimmune mechanisms in the pathophysiology of CSU.