Chronic spontaneous urticaria affects 0.5-1% of individuals (lifetime prevalence) and significantly reduces quality of life (QOL) 1. More than half of the patients of chronic urticaria suffer from autoimmune urticaria. Chronic urticaria (CU) is a troublesome problem and patients of CU are affected by the morbidity that arise from irritable itch and wheals and are also subjected to a huge antihistamine pill burden. The symptoms are more profound in autoimmune urticaria (AU) where auto-antibodies in blood flare-up the condition. A vigilant search for a novel modality of treatment which can decrease the pill burden is needed.Aims:This study evaluates the effectiveness of autologous serum therapy (AST) in CSU and also determines its usefulness in AU.Materials and Methods: The prospective interventional, randomized single blind studySingle blind, parallel group, randomized, controlled study. Eighteen patients were given AST and seventeen patients were given injection normal saline (placebo), along with Cetrizine given on-demand basis in both groups. AST/Placebo was given weekly for nine weeks and the patient was followed-up for a total period of 24 weeks. Of the 250 patients in whom ASST was performed, 150 were ASST positive of which 115 withdrew (Remote residence from treatment center). 35 ASST positive patients were administered treatment according to below-mentioned groups:Group A: 18 ASST positive patients received AST with antihistamines.Group B: 17 ASST positive patients received only antihistamines.AU was diagnosed by autologous serum skin test. Urticaria activity score (UAS) was used as primary effectiveness variables. Safety parameters assessed were the spontaneously reported adverse events and laboratory parameters.

Keywords: CSU (Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria); AU(Autoimmune Urticaria); AST (Autologous Serum Therapy).