Assessment of depression, anxiety, and stress in chronic urticaria and its correlation with disease severity

Chronic urticaria (CU) is defined as the occurrence of itchy wheals, angioedema, or both for at least 6 weeks. Dermatologic conditions like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, and generalized pruritus are often found to be associated with psychological disorders such as anxiety. Previous studies have found a high prevalence (35% to 60%) of psychiatric comorbidities in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). 1 Chu CY Cho YT Jiang JH Lin EI Tang CH. Epidemiology and comorbidities of patients with chronic urticaria in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study. J Dermatol Sci. 2017; 88: 192-198 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar , 2 Barbosa F Freitas J Barbosa A. Chronic idiopathic urticaria and anxiety symptoms. J Health Psychol. 2011; 16: 1038-1047 Crossref PubMed Scopus (33) Google Scholar , 3 Chung MC Symons C Gilliam J Kaminski ER. The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, psychiatric comorbidity, and personality traits among patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria. Compr Psychiatry. 2010; 51: 55-63 Crossref PubMed Scopus (36) Google Scholar Anxiety, depression, and somatoform disorders are among the most prevalent disorders in patients with CSU. 1 Chu CY Cho YT Jiang JH Lin EI Tang CH. Epidemiology and comorbidities of patients with chronic urticaria in Taiwan: a nationwide population-based study. J Dermatol Sci. 2017; 88: 192-198 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar Chronic spontaneous urticaria affect everyday life, causing limitation and impairment of physical and emotional functioning, often because of constant itching and occurrence of wheals that can lead to social withdrawal, sedation, and fatigue induced by antihistamines. 2 Barbosa F Freitas J Barbosa A. Chronic idiopathic urticaria and anxiety symptoms. J Health Psychol. 2011; 16: 1038-1047 Crossref PubMed Scopus (33) Google Scholar We have undertaken this study to determine the need for routine screening for early diagnosis and management of mental disorders in CSU.