NEW ORLEANS – , results from a single-center prospective study showed.
“Given that the majority of CSU cases in adults are due to autoimmunity and there being very [few] studies on biomarkers for CSU in children, our study furthers our current understanding of the role of different biomarkers in treatment response,” lead study author Alex Nguyen, MsC, said in an interview at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, where the study was presented during a poster session.
Alex Nguyen
To identify biomarkers with treatment and disease resolution in children with CSU, Mr. Nguyen, a 4-year medical student at McGill University, Montreal, and colleagues prospectively recruited 109 children from the Montreal Children’s Hospital Allergy and Immunology Clinic who reported hives for at least 6 weeks from 2013 to 2022. They obtained levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroxine peroxidase (anti-TPO), total immunoglobulin E (IgE), CD63, tryptase, eosinophils, MPV, and platelets; the weekly urticaria activity score (UAS7) was recorded at study entry.
Levels of treatment included antihistamines at standard dose, four times the standard dose, omalizumab, and resolution of treatment. The researchers used univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to determine factors associated with different treatment levels and resolution.
Slightly more than half of the study participants (55%) were female, and their mean age was 9 years. Mr. Nguyen and colleagues observed that elevated MPV was associated with the four times increased dose of antihistamines treatment level (odds ratio = 1.052, 95% confidence interval = 1.004-1.103). Lower age was associated with disease resolution (OR = 0.982, 95% CI = 0.965-0.999).
After adjustment for age, sex, TSH, anti-TPO, total IgE, CD63, eosinophils, MPV, and platelets, elevated tryptase was associated with the antihistamine use at standard dose level (OR = 1.152, 95% CI = 1.019-1.302) and lower tryptase levels with disease resolution (OR = .861, 95% CI = 0.777-0.955).
“We were fascinated when we found that tryptase levels in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria were associated with standard dose of antihistamines and even disease resolution,” Mr. Nguyen said. “Higher tryptase levels were associated with standard dose antihistamines, which potentially could imply an increase in mast cell activation. Furthermore, we saw that lower tryptase levels were associated with disease resolution likely given if the disease may not have been as severe.”
He acknowledged certain limitations of the study, including a limited sample size and an unbalanced sample size among treatment groups. In the future, he and his colleagues plan to increase the sample size and to include other biomarkers such as interleukin (IL)-6, D-dimer, vitamin D, and matrix mettaloproteinase-9.
“Much as the name suggests, CSU often arises without a clear trigger,” said Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of dermatology at Northwestern University, Chicago, who was asked to comment on the study. “Particularly in children, little is known about potential biomarkers that may guide treatment or disease resolution. While a larger, prospective analysis would better characterize temporal trends in serum biomarkers in relation to disease activity, these data suggest that underlying mechanisms of tryptase may be worth an in-depth look in children with CSU.”
The study was recognized as the second-best poster at the meeting. The researchers reported having no financial disclosures. The other study coauthors were Michelle Le MD, Sofianne Gabrielli MSc, Elena Netchiporouk, MD, MSc, and Moshe Ben-Shoshan, MD, MSc. Dr. Chovatiya disclosed that he is a consultant to, a speaker for, and/or a member of the advisory board for several pharmaceutical companies.