A recent study published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology has found that individuals with chronic urticaria (CU) are at a significantly higher risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders.
Background and Methods
Chronic urticaria has long been associated with various comorbidities, including psychiatric conditions. A 2022 study in Frontiers in Allergy highlighted links between CU and a range of health issues, including malignancies, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders, and atopic conditions. Previous research has also identified higher rates of anxiety and depression among CU patients compared to the general population.
Adjei-Frimpong and colleagues conducted a case-controlled study involving adults with CU in the US who participated in the All of Us research program. Data was collected from May 6, 2018, to February 26, 2025, and analyzed to assess the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities in CU patients compared to matched controls.
Findings
The study analyzed data from 1,171 individuals with CU and 4,684 matched controls. The prevalence of psychiatric conditions was significantly higher among those with CU. After adjusting for autoimmune comorbidities, the study found that CU patients were more than three times more likely to have anxiety (OR, 3.48), depression (OR, 3.26), or insomnia (OR, 3.27). The odds of developing dysthymia were particularly elevated (OR, 3.67).
Other psychiatric comorbidities also showed strong associations. The odds of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (OR, 3.61), posttraumatic stress disorder (OR, 3.25), psychological stress (OR, 3.92), and substance use disorder (OR, 2.13) were significantly higher among CU patients.
Conclusions
The study concludes that individuals with chronic urticaria face a substantial mental health burden, which may be due to shared pathophysiologic mechanisms and the psychosocial impact of living with CU. The authors noted limitations, including the absence of data on the time to diagnosis and the severity of CU at onset.
“Clinicians should pursue a comprehensive evaluation when caring for CU patients,” the study authors wrote. “Routine screenings for psychiatric disorders should be incorporated into CU patient care to ensure prompt intervention and/or referral. Prospective studies analyzing additional psychiatric disorders and underlying mechanisms characterizing this link will help further clarify meaningful associations that can be used to inform appropriate psychiatric screenings and management.”
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