Evaluation of the Inhibitory Effect of 5 Anti-Histamines in Urticaria
Evaluation of the Inhibitory Effect of 5 Anti-Histamines in Urticaria
The antihistamines with inhaled steroids are the cornerstone on the symptomatic therapy in
 the management of patients with rhinitis and the first line of treatment in patients with
 urticaria. Currently, the use of antihistamines has become popular due to its excellent
 safety profile and clinical efficacy, however to the investigators knowledge, there are no
 studies about the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of these drugs in patients of
 tropical Latin America. The investigators main interest is to evaluate if skin test
 inhibition correlates with the clinical effect of five anti-histamines.
This was a randomized, double-blind, study that was conducted in six health care centers from
 Medellín and Bogotá (Colombia). This study was conducted in compliance with the ethical
 principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and with Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Written
 informed consent was obtained from all subjects or they parents in patients under 18 years.
 Ethical committee of University of Antioquia (Medellín, Colombia) approved the protocol.
 Considering the large number of articles that demonstrate the efficacy of antihistamines as
 first-line treatment in patients with urticaria, the ethics committee request that all
 participants would receive an antihistamine during the two months of the study because a
 placebo group would provide little information for the principal objective and the high risk
 of airway angioedema. Thirty heath subjects were used as a control group to evaluated the
 characteristics of the wheal in the prick test with histamine.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Clinical diagnosis of persistent allergic urticaria.

 -  Age over 12 years and at least one year with the disease

 -  Informed consent filled.

 -  Be resident of the metropolitan area of Medellin.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  • Use of immunosuppressive drugs