Chronic idiopathic urticaria: comparison of the clinical features of patients with and without anti-FcepsilonRI or anti-IgE autoantibodies.

Background: Previous studies defining the clinical features of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) were performed before the identification of functional autoantibodies against FcepsilonRI and/or IgE, now known to be present in approximately 30% of patients with CIU.

Objective: Our purpose was to determine whether there are differences between patients with and those without autoantibodies in the clinical features or severity of CIU.

Methods: The clinical features of 107 patients with CIU were evaluated prospectively.

Cutaneous inflammatory cell infiltrate in chronic idiopathic urticaria: comparison of patients with and without anti-FcepsilonRI or anti-IgE autoantibodies.

Background: Previous studies defining the histopathologic features of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) were performed on wheals of uncertain duration and before the identification of functional autoantibodies against FcepsilonRI and/or IgE, now known to be present in approximately 30% of patients with CIU.

Objective: We sought to determine the timing of the inflammatory infiltrate in the wheals of patients with CIU and to detect differences between patients with and without autoantibodies.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to identify neutrophils (neutrophil elastase), T lymphocytes (CD3), and activated eosinophils (EG2) in biopsy specimens from uninvolved skin and wheals present for less than 4 hours and greater than 12 hours in 22 patients with CIU, as well as in biopsy specimens from the skin of 12 healthy control subjects.