There is some promising news coming out of the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (ACAAI) annual meeting in Seattle, Washington.
According to a case study, rare forms of inducible urticarias such as cholinergic or adrenergic urticaria (AU) were successfully treated with omalizumab (like the prescribed treatment Xolair.)
What is Adrenergic Urticaria?
AU is a rare type of stress-induced physical urticaria characterized by outbreaks of red papules surrounded by halos of hypopigmented, vasoconstricted skin.
Trigger avoidance and oral propranolol are currently the best known treatments – although this new case study offers new hope.
A Breakthrough
The case study presented at the ACAAI’s meeting involved a 17-year-old woman with a history of other diseases including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), and mast cell activation syndrome. Due to the severity and frequency of the hives brought on by the AU, omalizumab injections were initiated every 4 weeks resulting in complete resolution shortly after the first injection.
And she continues to maintain good control months later with no reported repeat episodes!
This marks the first case demonstrating that AU can be successfully treated with omalizumab, which now should be considered as a treatment option if first line agents prove ineffective.
This comes on the heel of omalizumab being granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA earlier this year as a subcutaneous injection for the prevention of severe food allergy reactions.
To read more details about this case study, click here!
