Basophils priming in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria

Introduction: Basophils are one of the main target cells in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). If cells present higher susceptibility to production and degranulation of pro-inflammatory factors, priming may be associated with severity of symptoms and therapy ineffectiveness. Aim: To evaluate the spontaneous state of increase in basophil activity and their priming profile in patients with CSU. Material and methods: The study sample included 22 patients diagnosed with CSU and 20 healthy volunteers without either allergy symptoms or CSU. In this study, we evaluate the presence of CD63 and CD63+CD203c at basophils surface by flow cytometry test (basophil activation test - BAT). Results: We found that the percentage of activated basophils was higher in patients with CSU than in the control group and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results indicate a greater degree of basophils activation in patients with CSU in remission than in the control group; it might be useful for identification of patients with predominance of the autoimmune variant of CSU and typing patients responding (responders) and refractory (non-responders) to treatment with antihistamines.