Plasma histamine levels (H) during adjunctive H1-receptor antagonist treatment with loratadine in patients with active Inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD)

• DOI: 10.1007/s00011-009-0120-9
• Publication Date: 2010-01-19T18:38:42Z
• Authors: M. Raithel; A. Nägel; Y. Zopf; Th. deRossi; Ch. Stengel; A. Hagel; J. Kressel; E. G. Hahn; P. Konturek
• Keywords: Loratadine

Histamine exerts a broad range of both proinflammatory and immunoregulatory effects in the body. Although there are somewhat controversial findings about the role of mast cells in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), recent immunologic findings suggest that mast cells, histamine and other immunomediators associated with a TH2-cell response may play a role in ulcerative colitis and in early lesions of Crohn’s disease, both chronic inflammatory disorders of the large bowel [1, 2], leading to bloody diarrhoea, anaemia, abdominal pain and weight loss. Tissue histamine content and mast cell secretion have been reported to be increased in affected mucosa and active flares of IBD [2–4], while urinary methylhistamine excretion was found to be low during remission [5]. Therefore, we performed an adjunctive antihistamine trial in IBD and explored plasma histamine levels during standard treatment with or without loratadine.