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Chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) is defined by the presence of hives three or more times weekly for at least 6 weeks, with no identifiable trigger. Half of patients who experience CIU exhibit IgE autoantibodies or antibodies against high-affinity IgE receptors on mast cells and basophils; these antibodies are thought to be pathogenic.
An automated search of an Israeli medical database yielded 12,778 patients with CIU; 10.0% and 2.6% of patients had hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, respectively. Additionally, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, lupus, and Sjögren syndrome were significantly more common (odds ratio, 17.3) in CIU patients than in a matched control group without CIU. Women were at significantly greater ri…