Author/Authors :
Parekh, Niyati Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Bhatia, Kailash Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Dayal, Satguru Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Kataria, Rajesh Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Lokwani, Hitesh Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Goyal, Gagan Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Sharma, Rini Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Syed, Amin Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Bhatia, Jushya Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Sarin, Ankur Department of Skin and VD - Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore, MP, India , Bhatia, Lavin Department of Dermatology - KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India
Abstract :
Background: Autologous serum skin test (ASST) evaluates
the presence of any serum histamine-releasing factors and
histamine-releasing autoantibodies. Autologous serum therapy
(AST) is a therapy in which repeated injections of autologous
serum are administered intramuscularly for treatment of chronic
spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The aim of this study is to evaluate
the advantages and compare the results of the ASST and the
efficacy of AST in CSU patients.
Methods: We included a total of 39 patients that presented
with urticaria of more than 6 weeks duration in this study.
Patients who suffered from acute urticaria, urticarial vasculitis,
physical urticaria, and other systemic diseases known to cause
urticaria were excluded. Standard tools and techniques were
used to prepare autologous serum, injection of the serum, and
interpretation of the results. The test result was implicated as
positive and negative ASST.
Results: Out of 39 patients, 11 (27.5%) patients exhibited positive
ASST reactions. Based on the urticaria total severity score (TSS),
10 patients were characterized as moderate severity whereas 29
patients were characterized as severe. There was no observed
association of severity with ASST positivity. There was a significant
decline in TSS at 15 weeks in both the ASST positive and negative
groups. Study patients had a statistically significant response to
AST, although differences between ASST positive and negative
groups were not significant. This indicated the effectiveness of
AST in both groups, irrespective of positive ASST results.
Conclusion: ASST was found to be an easy, useful, inexpensive
test to detect autoimmune urticaria and classify CSU. AST is an
easy, economic, and safe therapeutic tool for patients of refractory
CSU with minimal discomfort, and no observed complications
within the study period.
