A Clinico-Epidemiological Study of Chronic Urticaria and its Association with Thyroid Profile

Background: Urticaria is a disease characterized by noticeable itchy bumps and dark red raised spots or rashes. Several studies have testified to a substantial relation between autoimmune thyroid disease and CU. It was also reported that chronic urticaria patients show a deranged thyroid profile. Aim and Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the pattern of chronic urticaria in patients coming to the OPD and to study the association between chronic urticaria and various thyroid parameters (T3, T4, TSH). Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based observational study conducted for a period of 2 years on 144 patients with chronic urticaria between the age groups of 18 and 15 years. The data was collected based on a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire. A complete history, clinical examination, and thyroid profile were collected. Data analysis is done using SPSS version 17.0.1. A chi square test was used to test association between chronic urticaria and thyroid profile and selected sociodemographic variables. Results: In the present study, urticaria was more common in males than females, and their association showed significant (p = 0.003). The level of HB and TLC was shown to be highly significant. Atopy was the most common association with urticaria, and their association was shown very high significance (p<0.0001). And, chronic urticaria in patients with angioedema was less than in patients with no angioedema, and their association showed very high significance (p<0.0001). Conclusion: This study concludes that male prevalence of the disease is associated with a significant association between the thyroid function test and the prevalence of CU.