Experience of long-term use of anti-IgE therapy in a patient with chronic spontaneous urticarial

Abstract

Chronic spontaneous urticaria is an urgent health problem. Recurrent urticarial rashes, angioedema and severe itching reduce the quality of life of patients. The ineffectiveness of standard therapy requires the search for new modern methods of treating this disease. Taking into account the current data on the pathogenesis, the third line of therapy for chronic spontaneous urticaria is the addition of anti-IgE therapy (omalizumab) to antihistamines of the 2nd generation. The presented clinical case is devoted to the experience of long-term use of omalizumab in a patient with chronic spontaneous urticaria. Having a disease duration of about a year, the patient was thoroughly examined, all concomitant diseases were identified and compensated, parasitic invasion was treated, but this did not lead to a regression of symptoms. Antihistamines of the 2nd generation in standard and increased doses (up to 4 times) did not control the disease, systemic glucocorticosteroids stopped the symptoms for a short time, and therefore, in  the future, the  patient began to use them independently and uncontrollably. Almost daily use of  corticosteroids for 6 months caused the development of complications in the form of weight gain and Cushing’s syndrome. Omalizumab completely stopped all the symptoms during the first day, no side effects were detected. The clinical effect lasted from 3 to 4 weeks. Thus, omalizumab therapy allowed the patient to almost completely get rid of the symptoms of CSC, which significantly improved the quality of life and made it possible to cancel systemic glucocorticosteroids. The peculiarity of the presented case is the duration of the use of omalizumab (more than 2 years) with the inability to cancel due to the return of urticarial rashes and itching.