Peer-reviewed article
The safety and tolerability profile of bilastine for chronic urticaria in children
Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, Torsten Zuberbier ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a medical review of bilastine, a medication for treating chronic urticaria (hives) in children aged 6-11 years. The document discusses how chronic urticaria affects children's quality of life, sleep and learning, and reviews clinical guidelines recommending second-generation antihistamines as treatment. The paper focuses on the safety and tolerability profile of bilastine in the pediatric population.
Key points
- Chronic urticaria in children causes debilitating symptoms affecting daily activities, sleep, and emotional wellbeing
- Bilastine 10 mg once daily is licensed for children aged 6-11 years in the European Union
- Current EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/WAO guidelines recommend second-generation H1 antihistamines as first-line treatment for urticaria in children
- Treatment goals must balance symptom control with tolerability and quality of life considerations
Limitations
This is a literature review focused on medication safety rather than an evaluation of a specific intervention or program for child well-being. It does not present original research data or measure outcomes related to children's broader development, protection, or participation.
Abstract
Abstract Background Urticaria is a condition defined by the development of wheals, angioedema or both. It is classified based on its duration as acute (≤ 6 weeks) or chronic (> 6 weeks). Chronic urticaria is less frequent than acute one in children, but it represents a debilitating condition, always needing treatment. Symptoms affect child’s daily activities and disturb sleeping patterns, causing emotional distress and negatively influencing learning and cognition. Therefore, the management of chronic urticaria must point to a complete control of symptoms, taking into account tolerability and the patient quality of life. Review of literature The recently revised version of EAACI/GA 2 LEN/EDF/WAO guideline on the management of urticaria, in addition to recommending the use of second-generation H 1 antihistamines as the treatment of choice, gives particular attention to their use in the paediatric population. Bilastine has been studied in children; at the dose of 10 mg/once daily, it is licenced for the symptomatic relief of urticaria in children ≥ 6 to 11 years, in the European Union, in appropriate formulation, as oral solution or orodispersible tablet. Conclusions In line with the recent guideline recommendation for the use of second generation H 1 antihistamines in children we have reviewed the safety and tolerability profile of bilastine in children with chronic urticaria.