Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chemokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of urticaria, but their correlation with disease severity as well as eruption type is unclear. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the expression of chemokines in patients with urticaria. The association between disease severity and levels of chemokines was analysed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serums CCL11, CCL17, CCL26, and CCL27, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and total IgE were measured in 51 patients with urticaria and in 25 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Serums CCL11, CCL17, CCL26, and CCL27 were significantly higher in patients with urticaria than in the healthy controls (P < 0.05). Serum CCL27 strongly correlated with urticarial disease severity. Serums CCL17, CCL26, and CCL27 significantly correlated with D-dimer, while innercorrelations were noted among the chemokines. CONCLUSION: Our findings reveal that chemokines participate in the pathogenesis of urticaria. Further study in larger cohort is needed to testify whether they could be the biomarkers for predicting the severity of urticaria.