June 2021

Urticaria is a skin disease characterized by rapid onset of hives (superficial dermis edema, erythema, pruritus, or burning sensation), which can be worsened by angioedema (edema of the deep dermis, fat tissue, and gastrointestinal tract). It reduces the quality of life of people and can consist of recurrent attacks. It can be considered acute urticaria or chronic urticaria if it takes longer than six weeks.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria is the most common and can be induced by autoreactivity or other causes. The diagnosis of chronic urticaria is usually complex and requires the exclusion of recurrent angioedema or hereditary angioedema, so biomarkers are essential to diagnose urticaria patients.

Currently, the assessment of chronic urticaria activity depends on the Urticaria Activity Score (UAS), with few evaluation indicators. Consistent biomarkers are needed to assess urticaria.

This article summarizes advanced biomarkers and related pathogenic pathways recently discovered, such as the cell adhesion/chemotaxis pathway, interleukin (IL)-6/Janus tyrosine kinase/STAT pathway, IL-17/IL-23 pathway, basophil- and mast cell-related pathway, coagulation/fibrinolysis-related pathways, single-nucleotide polymorphism, and some other pathways.

This review aims to discover adequate biomarkers to assess disease activity, find novel therapeutic targets, and predict the patients’ response to therapeutic agents (table 1).

Table 1. Biomarkers uses in urticaria

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) consists of wheals, angioedema, or both for longer than six weeks. Guidelines have limited procedures during the routine workup; however, some patients might need additional investigations. The objective of this article is to propose recommendations for the diagnostic and evaluation of some urticaria patients.

An extensive literature search was performed to identify important questions that should define diagnostic procedures based on expert consensus and published evidence.

The authors proposed seven questions for all chronic spontaneous urticaria patients: Confirm (rule out a differential diagnosis); Cause (look for indications of CSU); Cofactors (identify potential triggers, aggravators); Comorbidities (check for chronic inducible urticaria, autoimmunity, and mental health); Consequences (identify problems with sleep, distress, sexual health, work, and social performance); Components (assess potential biomarkers or predictors of treatment response); Course (monitor CSU activity, impact, and control).

Also, a complete medical history should be conducted in the assessment of the patient. CSU should be confirmed in all patients through a differential diagnosis, including blood testing for CRP and/or erythrocyte sedimentation rate and complete blood count with differential.

In conclusion, based on the answers, a decision for or against more diagnostic tests should be conducted by the specialist to prevent unnecessary and expensive testing and increase treatment effectiveness.