Chronic spontaneous and inducible urticaria significantly affect work productivity and quality of work, particularly when the conditions remain undiagnosed or poorly controlled, according to the findings of a new prospective study.
Chronic urticaria is characterized by erythemato-papular rash associated with transient angioedema. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) or chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU) has a considerable impact on the quality of life of patients during the working period of life. Compared to CSU, CIndU has less frequent angioedema, and the avoidance of physical triggers can lead to improvement.
In this prospective monocentric study, published in Acta Dermato-Venereologica, the authors aimed to compare the effects of CSU and CIndU and their treatment on the occupational activity of patients.
Participant Characteristics
A total of 88 patients were included in the study. The mean age of participants was 40.9 ± 12 years, and 60.2% were female. Of the total patients, 31 had isolated CSU, 19 had isolated CIndU, and 38 had combined CSU and CIndU. Chronic urticaria was poorly controlled, and the quality of life was moderately impaired, as indicated by the mean Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire (CU-Q2oL) score of 49.7 ± 18.6/115.
Occupational Characteristics of Chronic Urticaria Patients
At the time of completing the questionnaires, 96.6% of the participants were working, and two-thirds of these participants were on a fixed-term contract.
Impact on Occupational Activities
The mean visual analog scale (VAS) score of the patients was 5.5 ± 3, representing the impact of chronic urticaria on occupational activities. Chronic urticaria had a significant impact on work in 55.7% of the patients (VAS > 5), and a major impact on work in 40.9% of the patients (VAS ≥ 7). Additionally, 18.2% of patients reported that the adverse effects of their treatment affected their work due to symptoms such as somnolence, asthenia, dizziness, and headaches.
Impact on Work Productivity, Satisfaction, and Quality of Life
Low job satisfaction was reported by 22.7%, and 31.8% felt they had less effectiveness at work. The duration of chronic urticaria was shorter, the disease control was poorer, and there was greater impairment in the quality of life in patients who reported that the disease had a significant impact on their work life (VAS > 5). However, multivariate analysis demonstrated that only poor disease control had a statistically significant impact on work.
In summary, the conditions CSU and CIndU have a significant impact on the occupational activities of patients. This indicates the need for close communication with occupational physicians in order to support the work-related quality of life of patients and improve work productivity.
Source:
Baudy, A., Raison‐Peyron, N., Serrand, C., Crépy, M., & Du‐Thanh, A. (2024). Impact of chronic spontaneous or inducible urticaria on occupational activity. Acta Dermato-venereologica, 104, adv36122. https://doi.org/10.2340/actadv.v104.36122
