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Rupatadine 10 mg in the treatment of immediate mosquito‐bite allergy
Author(s) -
Karppinen A.,
BrummerKorvenkontio H.,
Reunala T.,
Izquierdo I.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2012.04543.x
Subject(s) - medicine , placebo , antihistamine , allergy , adverse effect , anesthesia , visual analogue scale , dermatology , immunology , alternative medicine , pathology
Background People frequently experience wealing and delayed papules from mosquito bites. Wealing is mediated by antisaliva IgE antibodies and histamine. Rupatadine is a new antihistamine effective in allergic rhinitis and urticaria, but the effect on mosquito‐bite allergy is not known. Objective To determine the effectiveness of rupatadine in inmediate mosquito‐bite allergy‐confirmed adult patients. Methods A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, cross‐over study was performed with rupatadine 10 mg and matched placebo in 30 mosquito‐bite‐sensitive adults. The mean age was 37 years and the subjects had suffered from harmful mosquito bites for a mean of 15 years. Either rupatadine or placebo was taken at 08:00 am for 4 days, followed by a 5 day wash out period and then alternative treatment was given for 4 days. On day 3, in both drug periods the subjects received two Aedes aegypti mosquito‐bites on the forearm. The size of lesions and intensity of pruritus [visual analogue scale (VAS)] were measured after 15 min bite reaction. Results Twenty‐six subjects were analysed for efficacy. The size of the 15 min bite reaction under placebo was of 106 mm 2 and under rupatadine, of 55 mm 2 . This is a significant decrease (48%; P = 0.0003). The accompanying pruritus decreased from 60 (VAS; median) under placebo to 47.5 under rupatadine, which also is a significant ( P = 0.019) difference. There was no significant ( P = 0.263) difference in adverse events under rupatadine and placebo. Conclusion The present placebo‐controlled study in mosquito‐bite‐sensitive adults shows that rupatadine 10 mg prophylactically given is an effective treatment for the mosquito‐bite wealing and skin pruritus.