Chronic spontaneous urticaria negatively impacts life, work

BOSTON — Chronic spontaneous urticaria has a negative impact on patients’ lives, including on both mental and physical health and daily activities, according to a poster presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.

“Previous research demonstrated that chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) has a negative impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) including work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI),” Karen Freedle, MD, of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and colleagues wrote.

This survey study of 635 CSU patients found 77% had poorly controlled disease. Mean Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 13.76, with 54.2% of patients reporting a DLQI score less than 10. Mental health scores were lower as well.

Mean General Anxiety Disorder-7 score was 10.55 and mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score was 13.54, with 54.8% of patients reporting moderate or severe anxiety and 62% of patients reporting moderate or severe depression.

The mean absenteeism rate for work was 36.5% and overall work impairment had a mean of 73.1%.

“This real-world observational patient-reported study reveals that CSU has a substantial humanistic burden on patients with active disease,” the authors wrote. “The majority of CSU patients had poor disease control, reported a high impact on mental and physical health and impairment of work and daily activities.”