title: What are the effects of omalizumab in refractory chronic spontaneous urticaria?
abstract: Chronic spontaneous urticaria is a disorder mediated by mast cells, characterized by the development of wheals, angioedema or both, lasting six weeks or more, with or without a known trigger agent. First and second line treatment are antihistamines, but some refractory cases require other alternatives, such as omalizumab. Searching in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified four systematic reviews including five pertinent randomized controlled trials overall. We combined the evidence using meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings following the GRADE approach. We concluded omalizumab reduces symptoms and improves quality of life in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile. Address: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Lira 63, Santiago Centro, Chile. Email: lfnavaja@uc.cl.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Dermatología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Navajas-Galimany
mesh_terms: D000799:Angioedema / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006633:Histamine Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000069444:Omalizumab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014581:Urticaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D006633:Histamine Antagonists; D000069444:Omalizumab