Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: Is Treatment Optimization Delivering Improved Outcomes? is organized by Healio, Vindico Medical Education.
Release Date: July 31, 2023
Expiration Date: July 30, 2024
Program Overview:
Urticaria is a common skin condition characterized by the occurrence of transient, pruritic wheals, and it occurs in 20% to 25% of all people at some point in their lifetime. Patients with a recurrence of symptoms for more than 6 weeks are classified as having chronic urticaria. For 80% of these patients, no inducing stimulus is discovered, leading to a diagnosis of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Signs and symptoms of CSU and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) show a moderate correlation, with some patients experiencing profound decrements in their HRQoL despite low disease activity. Therefore, both quality of life and disease activity must be considered when making treatment decisions to address the full impact of the disease. Current guidelines advocate a step-based treatment approach that begins with the use of second-generation, non-sedating antihistamines. For CSU that is refractory to other therapies, guidelines then recommend the use of omalizumab, but clinicians have not consistently optimized the use of this therapy, leading to suboptimal outcomes. Recently, new guidelines for the use of omalizumab in patients with CSU were published, along with recent data elucidating strategies to optimize its use in the treatment of CSU. In this interactive educational activity, expert faculty review the pathogenesis and therapeutic biomarkers of CSU and evaluate current treatment guidelines and treatment options, including strategies to elicit and augment response to omalizumab therapy.
Learning Objective
Upon successful completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
• Discuss the pathogenesis of CSU, its impact on quality of life, and the significance of biomarkers.
• Utilize the most recent CSU guideline recommendations for accurate diagnosis and planning of treatment regimens including their similarities and differences.
• Implement the clinical evidence for current and emerging therapies for CSU as well as shared decision-making and interprofessional coordination of patient care.