Treatment of solar urticaria using antihistamine and leukotriene receptor antagonist combinations tailored to disease severity.

BACKGROUND

Solar urticarial (SU) is characterized by erythema, whealing, and/or pruritus occurring minutes after sun exposure. Treatment is difficult and often unsatisfactory.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the action spectra and minimal urticaria dose (MUD) and to tailor a treatment regimen graded according to disease severity in a series of patients with SU.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Eleven patients (seven females, four males, age range: 5-60 years) with a clinical history suggestive of SU, verified by photo-provocation tests to ultraviolet A (UVA), visible light, and/or UVB, were treated with various combinations of antihistamines and leukotriene receptor antagonist.

RESULTS

All patients were sensitive to visible light (median MUD 50 J/cm(2)). Three patients were sensitive to UVA (median MUD 3.75 J/cm(2)), and one patient was sensitive to UVB (MUD of 0.03 J/cm(2)). Two patients experienced a spontaneous remission without treatment. One patient declined treatment. The remaining eight patients were managed by a combination of antihistamines (desloratidine, fexofenadine, cetirizine HCl) and a leukotriene receptor antagonist (montelukast). Seven of the 8 patients experienced a sustained remission of symptoms and signs following treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Photoprovocation for SU with determination of action spectra and MUD enables specifically tailored treatment regimens consisting of combinations of antihistamines and leukotriene receptor antagonist.