Safety of Methotrexate in Chronic Urticaria Unresponsive to Omalizumab
Methotrexate in Chronic Urticaria
Abstract
Omalizumab (humanized anti-immunoglobulin IgE) is currently the first choice of treatment for chronic urticaria refractory to high-dose second-generation antihistamines (sgAH). Despite its high safety profile, response to omalizumab is insufficient in one-third of patients. Some studies have suggested that methotrexate is effective in antihistamine-refractory chronic urticaria, but there are no studies on its efficacy and safety in patients unresponsive to omalizumab. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the clinical effectiveness and adverse effects of methotrexate in patients with chronic urticaria unresponsive to omalizumab + high-dose sgAH. The patients were evaluated in terms of age at disease onset, duration of the urticaria episode before methotrexate therapy, treatment before methotrexate therapy, final treatment, treatment responses, 7-day urticaria activity score (UAS7) before and after treatment, and total IgE levels. Methotrexate was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 15 mg once weekly as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs to 10 chronic urticaria patients with a history of nonresponse to omalizumab + high-dose sgAH. The mean age of the patients was 44.6±11.5 (31-65) years, and 9 (90%) of the patients were female. The mean duration of methotrexate therapy was 5.1±2.4 months (1.5-9 months). Complete response or well-controlled response was observed in 70% of the patients and partial response was observed in 1 patient (10%). Methotrexate was well tolerated by 80% of the patients. Methotrexate seems to be a useful treatment option both as monotherapy or combined therapy in patients resistant to omalizumab + sgAH.
2. Bérard F, Ferrier Le Bouedec MC, BouilletL, Reguiai Z, Barbaud A, Cambazard F et al. Omalizumab in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria nonresponsive to H1-antihistamine treatment: results of the phase IV open-label SUNRISE study. Br J Dermatol. 2019;180(1):56-66.
3. Zuberbier T, Aberer W, Asero R, Abdul Latiff AH, Baker D, Ballmer-Weber B, et al. The EAACI/GA²LEN/EDF/WAO guideline for the definition, classification, diagnosis and management of urticaria. Allergy. 2018;73(7):1393-1414.
4. Kessel A, Toubi E. Cyclosporine-A in severe chronic urticaria: the option for long-term therapy. Allergy. 2010;65(11):1478-82.
5. Kulthanan K, Chaweekulrat P, Komoltri C, Hunnangkul S, Tuchinda P, Chularojanamontri L, Maurer M. Cyclosporine for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2018;6(2):586-599.
6. Gutierrez-Dalmau A, Campistol JM. Immunosuppressive therapy and malignancy in organ transplant recipients: a systematic review. Drugs. 2007;67(8):1167-98.
7.Sagi L, Solomon M, Baum S, Lyakhovitsky A, Trau H, Barzilai A. Evidence for methotrexate as a useful treatment for steroid-dependent chronic urticaria. Acta DermVenereol. 2011;91(3):303-6
8. Perez A, Woods A, Grattan CE. Methotrexate: a useful steroid-sparing agent in recalcitrant chronic urticaria. Br J Dermatol. 2010;162(1):191-4.
Files | ||
Issue | Vol 20 No 4 (2021) | |
Section | Case Series | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/ijaai.v20i4.6960 | |
Keywords | ||
Chronic urticaria Methotrexate Omalizumab Safety Therapeutics |
Rights and permissions | |
![]() |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |