Mj. Pontasch et al., ORAL-AGENTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF URTICARIA - PATIENT PERCEPTION OF EFFECTIVENESS AND LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH TREATMENT, The Annals of pharmacotherapy, 27(6), 1993, pp. 730-731
OBJECTIVE: Orally administered diphenhydramine, famotidine, and cromol
yn sodium were compared for their abilities to alleviate symptoms of a
cute urticaria. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a prospective, randomized
, blind study, implemented in the emergency departments (EDs) of two t
eaching hospitals, each with an annual average of 40 000 ED patient vi
sits. Patient perception of the effectiveness of treatment was assesse
d using a visual analog scale. PATIENTS: 33 adult patients presenting
to the EDs were entered into the study over a one-year period. Of thes
e, 8 were lost to follow-up and 5 were noncompliant with medications a
nd not included in data analysis. Twenty adult patients, aged 19-78 ye
ars, completed the five-day study: 7 received diphenhydramine, 6 recei
ved famotidine, and 7 received cromolyn sodium. RESULTS: Patients rece
iving diphenhydramine reponed the greatest satisfaction with treatment
: 86 percent (6/7) indicated they would use the medication again. Fift
y percent (3/6) in the famotidine group and 43 percent (3/7) in the cr
omolyn sodium group rated the treatment as worth using again. Patients
receiving famotidine reported the greatest occurrence of adverse effe
cts (50 percent, 3/6); die lowest incidence of such effects was seen i
n the cromolyn sodium group (14 percent, 1/7). Patients receiving diph
enhydramine reported adverse effects at a rate of 43 percent (3/7). CO
NCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that patients receiving diphenhydramine
are more satisfied with their treatment than are patients receiving f
amotidine or cromolyn sodium.