Correlations between disease activity, autoimmunity and biological parameters in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria

Background. Biomarkers of disease activity/severity and criteria of autoimmune chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are still a matter of debate. Objective. To investigate possible correlations between clinical and biological markers and their associations with: 1) disease activity, 2) resistance to H-1-antihistamines, 3) autoimmunity and 4) autologous serum skin test (ASST) in patients with CSU. To also analyze biological parameter modifications in patients with CSU treated with omalizumab. Materials and methods. Disease activity, H-1-antihistamines response and presence of concomitant autoimmune disease were prospectively recorded in 95 patients with CSU. For 60 of them, ASST was performed. Broad biological analysis were performed. Results. C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels were higher in H-1-antihistamines unresponders (p < 0.0001) and in more active diseases (p = 0.033). D-dimer plasma levels were higher in H-1-antihistamines unresponders (p = 0.008) and in patients with autoimmune status (concomitant autoimmune disease and/or with autoantibodies) (p = 0.016). Total immunoglobuline E (IgE) serum level was lower in patients with positive ASST. Blood basophil counts were lower in patients with CSU and especially in H-1-antihistamines unresponders (p = 0.023), in patients with more active disease (p = 0.023), with positive ASST (p = 0.001), and with autoimmune status (p = 0.057). Conversely, under omalizumab, a decrease of CRP (p = 0.0038) and D-dimer serum/plasma levels (p = 0.0002) and an increase of blood basophil counts (p = 0.0023) and total IgE serum levels (p = 0.0007) were observed. Conclusions. This study brings additional evidences of interest to investigate IgE, D-dimer serum/plasma levels and basophil blood counts in patients with CSU as they could be correlated to disease activity, response to treatment and/or autoimmunity.