FREQUENCY OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI INFECTION IN PATIENTS OF CHRONIC SPONTANEOUS URTICARIA

Introduction: Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common skin disease characterized by widespread, transient wheals occurring daily or almost daily for at least 6 weeks. Objectives of the study: The main objective of the study is to analyse the frequency of helicobacter pylori infection in patients of chronic spontaneous urticaria. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore General Hospital during March 2019 to December 2019. The data was collected from 20 patients who visited the OPD of the hospital. Infection of H. pylori was diagnosed by a positive C13-UBT test and sorted as group A. Meanwhile, 10 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms but without urticaria were enrolled from the Gastroenterology Department for C13-UBT examination, and the infected patients were categorized into group B. H. pylori infection was defined as positive results by a positive C13-UBT test. Results: Demographic data of H. pylori-infected patients with or without chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) was collected. In group A follow-up of 11 successfully treated patients three months later revealed complete remission of urticaria in 54.5% (6/11), partial remission in 18.2% (2/11), and no improvement in 27.3% (3/11). In longitudinal follow-up studies for a duration of 12–29 months after H. pylori eradication (median = 23.5 months), complete remission was found in 63.6% (7/11) and no improvement in 36.4% (4/11) of the patients. Conclusion: It is concluded that H. pylori infection is significantly, though weakly, associated with the risk of chronic urticaria