The following is the summary of “Validation of the Urticaria Control Test (UCT) in Children With Chronic Urticaria” published in the December 2022 issue of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by Prosty, et al.

There need to be more reliable methods for gauging a child’s ability to manage chronic urticaria (CU). Urticaria Control Test (UCT) has good clinometric qualities in adults with CU. However, it has yet to be verified for use with kids. Therefore, assess the reliability of the UCT in determining the severity of CU in children. Children presenting with CU were enrolled in the trial using a consecutive sampling method, and upon study entry, they were given the UCT and the Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI). 

As a reference point, we used the CDLQI to evaluate the UCT’s reliability and validity regarding screening participants at the study entry and follow-up. In all, 52 CU-afflicted kids were enlisted. To evaluate CU, the UCT showed respectable internal consistency (Cronbach’s, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62-0.85). The scores on the CDLQI and the UCT were highly associated (r=-0.74; P<.01). The CDLQI’s severity categories were clearly delineated by the UCT. In a screening setting, the UCT showed excellent discriminatory power against poorly controlled CU (area under the curve, 0.82). Poorly managed CU can be defined as a score of 10 or less (sensitivity 95.5%; specificity 63.3%).

There was no discrepancy between baseline data and follow-up data. Validity estimates in subgroups of patients with persistent spontaneous urticaria were consistent with those in the full sample. Internal consistency, convergent and known-groups validity, and screening accuracy at several time points suggest that the UCT is a viable tool for assessing CU and chronic spontaneous urticaria in children.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213219822008121