A combination therapy of psychotropic drugs and antihistaminics or antiallergics in patients with chronic urticaria

The efficacy of psychotropic drugs in combination with antihistaminics or antiallergics in patients with chronic urticaria was investigated. Forty patients, who had had urticaria for at least one month and showed insufficient suppression of symptoms for more than one month while being treated with antihistaminics or antiallergics, were divided into two groups on the basis of their score on three kinds of psychological tests: a manifest anxiety test, a self-rating depression scale and the Cornell medical index. One group had a high score, the other a low score. We investigated both groups with or without psychotropics in combination with antihistaminics or antiallergics. Incidence of urticaria and degree of improvement were examined after 2 and 6 months. There was no statistical difference between the groups after 2 months. After 6 months, the members of the low-score group treated with psychotropics showed a little better prognosis than those not treated. However, the high-score group treated with psychotropics showed a statistically significant decrease of incidence and increase in degree of improvement ( P < 0.01). In conclusion, it is suggested that a long-term combination therapy with psychotropics is effective in suppressing urticaria for patients who are anxious, depressive and psychosomatic symptom-prone, and moderately effective for those with a low score in these areas.