Successful treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria and angioedema with cimetidine alone

We have studied a 50-year-old white man with chronic urticaria and angioedema who has responded to treatment with cimetidine alone for over 2 yr. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, cimetidine alone was at least as effective as chlorpheniramine in relief of urticaria and angioedema. Additionally, cimetidine significantly inhibited (p less than 0.01) the wheal response to histamine when it was compared to placebo. The inhibition of wheal response to histamine by cimetidine was significantly higher (p less than 0.05) than chlorpheniramine. The presence of predominantly H2- rather than H1-histamine receptors in the cutaneous blood vessels may be responsible for the therapeutic effects of cimetidine in this patient.