Chronic Spontaneous (Idiopathic) Urticaria (CSU or CIU): Engaging Patients to Enable Earlier Diagnosis and Timely Therapeutic Decisions

Target Audience

The educational design of this activity addresses the needs of primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, allergists, dermatologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the management of patients with CSU (CIU).

Statement of Need/Program Overview

Despite updates to guidelines calling for a rapid treatment titration protocol with evidence-based management options, patients who are affected by chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), also named chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), and their caretakers continue to suffer from great disease burden and impaired functional ability due to diagnostics delay, and underdosing of medications. Many patients cycle through different treatments, including self-prescribed, over-the-counter options, seeing different physicians, without achieving long-term symptom relief.

In this activity, the faculty panel will discuss the challenges inherent in treating this skin condition characterized with unexplained breakthroughs, and that greatly impairs the quality of life of those who are affected. This lively, interactive discussion between two allergy specialists will thoroughly discuss the signs of CSU, the underlying pathophysiology of the condition, and latest US and international recommendation for its management. The faculty will also discuss key learnings and questions collected directly from patients with CSU during a prior webcast designed to help people with CSU in their interaction with their doctor and in managing their condition.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

Identify the characteristics of CSU and perform appropriate patient history and evaluation to accurately and quickly differentiate CSU from other forms of urticaria and other dermatologic conditions
Explain how to apply the most recent guidelines for the definition, classification, diagnosis and management of urticaria to the symptomatic management of CSU, promptly identifying patients who are refractory to H1-antihistamine therapy and who would benefit from anti-IgE therapy
Describe how to employ a shared decision-making approach to the management of patients with CSU, assessing disease burden at every visit to guide prompt change and adjustment in therapy or referral to a specialist