Comparison of ketotifen effectiveness with hydroxyzine in pruritus and chronic idiopathic urticaria

Abstract EN

Urticaria is a common skin disorder which arrects 15% of population in their life time.

Pruritus is also a vexing symptom which sometimes occurs without relationship to dermatologic or systemic diseases. Aim: This study was done for comparing the therapeutic effect of ketotifen against hydroxyzine in the treatment of the patients with pruritus and chronic idiopathic urticaria who to the dermatology department of Hamadan Sina Hospital between 1998-1999. Patients and Methods: The study was a randomized double blind clinical trial.

The patients were divided into two groups, each groups had 75 patients.

Ketotifen was prescribed in the maximum dose of 4mg daily to one group and for other group hydroxyzine between 10-75mg daily was started and after one weeks.

Patients were examined and rate of effectiveness, frequency and the type of side effects were evaluated in each group. Results: From 150 patients having pruritus or chronic urticaria 51.3% were female and 48.7% were male.

The majority of patients were in the third and fourth decades.

Duration of affection was from 6 weeks to 2 years.

There were history of association with background systemic disease (4.6%), history of skin disorders (4.6%), history of food sensitivity (2%) and history of drug sensitivity in 3.3%, 88% of the patients who took ketotifen and 92% of patients who received hydroxyzine, reported the positive therapeutic effects in the form of resolution of pruritus and urticarial lesions and lack of new lesions.

Side effects were seen in 46% of the patients of whom 8.7% were with ketotifen and 91.3% were with hydroxyzine. Drowsiness occurred in 91% of the patients using hydroxyzine and in 9% due to ketotifen.

Dizziness, giddiness, blurred vision and sleep disorder were due to hydroxyzine. 92% of reported dryness of month was due to hydroxyzine and 8% due to ketotifen. Conclusion: In spite of effectiveness of both hydroxyzine and ketotifen in the treatment of pruritus and chronic urticaria, with regard to fewer side effects seen with ketotifen, utilization of ketotifen in patients suffering from pruritus and chronic urticaria is a suitable treatment and was more accented by the patients.