SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2008 6/11/2008 Lesser Used Alternative Therapies in Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria Summary This is the second part of an article dealing with this issue. In the first part, alternative therapies which are more commonly used were discussed, and this in this article, less commonly employed agents are evaluated. These include attenuated antigens, antifolic antimetabolites, intravenous immunoglobulin, phototherapy, anticoagulants, nitrogen mustard alkylating agents, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, gold salts, and plasmaphoresis. They also discuss the use of corticosteroids. There is an excellent table on page 519 and 520 that deals with each of these medications, discussing the doses used, the side effects, and the suggested monitoring, as well as the strength of evidence of their efficacy. Reference Morgan M and Khan D. Therapeutic alternatives for chronic urticaria: an evidence based review, Part 2. Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 2008; Volume 100, pages 517-526.   © Copyright 1997-2008 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology All rights reserved