Background:

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is linked to thyroid disease in up to 54%, with predominance of hypothyroidism.

Objective:

To describe the impairments of the thyroid function in patients with CSU in a third level of care.

Methods:

A cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study in which we have included men and women over 18-year-old with CSU; in which TSH and free T4 were quantified. According to the results, they were classified as euthyroid, hyperthyroid, and hypothyroid; in the latter ones, the presence of antithyroid antibodies was intentionally sought. The demographic and biochemical characteristics of the results were assessed.

Results:

The clinical characteristics of 127 patients with CSU were analyzed. Women accounted for 78%. The average age was 44.5 ± 15.1 years. Impairments of the thyroid function were identified in 50 patients (39%), and subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) occurred in 41 (82%) of them; patients with hyperthyroidism were not found. Of the patients with hypothyroidism, 14 (28%) presented positive antibodies; all of them were women.

Conclusions:

More than a third of the analyzed patients with CSU presented impairments of the thyroid function; subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) was more common. The importance of identifying this entity lies in the possibility of a multidisciplinary treatment with endocrinology. Subsequent studies may establish whether the presence of hypothyroidism influences the activity of CSU.

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