Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic Urticaria (CU) is one of the most common skin diseases, affecting 2-3% of the population. Many studies have demonstrated that plasma D-dimer levels could be considered as a biomarker for disease activity and treatment response in patients with CU. AIM: To evaluate plasma D-dimer levels in patients with CU and their correlation with disease severity. METHODS: The present study was a case-controlled study conducted in 97 patients with CU and 40 healthy subjects. Plasma D-dimer levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The mean plasma D-dimer level in patients with CU (807.76 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in normal subjects (424.63 ng/mL) (P < 0.001). A significant correlation was observed between plasma D-dimer levels and the urticaria active score (P = 0.005, r = 0.28). Our study also suggested a significant difference in plasma D-dimer levels between patients with CU with and without angioedema. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CU had higher plasma D-dimer levels than the control group. A positive statistical correlation was observed between plasma D-dimer levels and severity of CU.