Advanced Biomarkers: Therapeutic and Diagnostic Targets in Urticaria

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