IL-3 as an indicator of salicylate exacerbated chronic urticaria.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation and validation of a salivary Interleukin-3 Immunosorbent assay for the detection of chronic urticaria exacerbated by a salicylate rich diet.
IRAS ID
198883
Contact name
Eulitty Gumunyu
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Southampton, NHS Foundation Trust.
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 11 days
Research summary
Chronic urticaria are itchy rashes +/- skin swelling that lasts for more than 6 weeks.Urticaria patients at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) have been complaining of worsening of symptoms when their diet contains too much salicylates. Salicylates are substances naturally found in some food and are similar in composition to some tablets such as aspirin. Most nutritious food such as fruits, vegetables, processed meats, spices and some beverages are rich in salicylates. It is difficult to completely eliminate them from the diet but a diet low in salicylates has been found to be beneficial. Chronic urticaria exacerbated by salicylates is still controversial amongst allergy specialists due to limited medical evidence.
It is thought to be caused by salicylates' ability to interfere with some natural processes in the body but the exact mechanism has not been fully explored.The only known method for diagnosing this condition is by eating the food and observing the effects. There is no laboratory test approved for routine diagnosis. Some of the laboratory methods used in some allergy testing are either not suitable or not approved for routine use. Examples are the ASPITest and the Basophil activation test. In this study, the Quantikine ELISA test for detecting IL-3 (produced during an urticaria episode) will be evaluated for use with saliva samples as a pilot study. Over a period of 2 months, saliva and blood samples from 10 patients and 10 controls will be collected and tested accompanied by food and symptom history. We will then measure how precise and sensitive method is. This method may identify patients who can benefit from a low salicylate diet. It will also result in a laboratory based diagnosis of salicylate exacerbated urticaria. The technique if put into use will be rapid, pain free in terms of sample collection and cut the trust’s expenses.
REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SW/0144
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion