All Things Urticaria – Learning about urticaria with Prof. Dr. Torsten Zuberbier15 Jul 2025

Itch & Urticaria: Mechanisms, Misconceptions & Hope

In this episode, Prof. Torsten Zuberbier welcomes Prof. Gil Yosipovitch, world-renowned itch researcher and dermatologist at the University of Miami, for an in-depth discussion on the science of itch in urticaria, and why histamine isn’t the full story.

They discuss:

🔹 Why do antihistamines fail in up to 40% of urticaria patients?
🔹 What is MRGPRX2, and why is it such a promising target for future treatments?
🔹 How do pain and itch differ neurologically — and why is itch harder to ignore?
🔹 What role do topical steroids, JAK inhibitors, and GABAergic drugs play?

Prof. Yosipovitch shares clinical and research insights on chronic itch mechanisms, highlighting how mast cells, nerves, cytokines, and ion channels interact to drive symptoms. The episode also explores why scratching can feel pleasurable, what makes urticaria itch unique, and how new therapies could revolutionize care.

Join us for a cutting-edge conversation on the future of urticaria treatment — and why individualized care is the most powerful approach of all.

Key Learnings from the Episode

Chronic urticaria itch is not purely histaminergic — up to 40% of patients don’t respond to antihistamines, indicating other mechanisms.

MRGPRX2 is a key non-histaminergic itch receptor found on mast cells and possibly nerve fibers — and is overexpressed in many itch disorders.

Scratching itch activates pleasure centers in the brain, but urticaria patients scratch less deeply than those with atopic dermatitis.

Cold and heat don’t always inhibit itch — responses vary across diseases and individuals, involving channels like TRPM8.

Steroids and JAK inhibitors modulate both histaminergic and non-histaminergic itch pathways.

Long-term steroid use is still widespread, especially in the US — but leads to serious comorbidities.

Gabapentin and SNRIs like mirtazapine are valid add-on options in selected chronic itch patients.

New biologics and mast cell-targeting drugs (like CKIT inhibitors) are on the horizon and may transform treatment.

Each patient is unique — clinicians must move beyond dogma and adjust treatments to the individual, not just the guideline.

Chapters

00:00 Understanding Itch: The Science Behind Chronic Pruritus

03:02 The Role of MRGPRX2 in Itch Mechanisms

05:53 Pain vs. Itch: Exploring the Neural Pathways

09:03 Individual Patient Experiences: The Complexity of Itch

11:48 Treatment Approaches: Antihistamines and Beyond

15:11 Emerging Therapies: The Future of Itch Management

Do you have suggestions for future episodes? Please provide feedback and offer your suggestions for future topics and expert selection here.

Feedback form:

ATU: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.office.com/e/m6a2uEdsUH

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(121)

AI and the Future of Urticaria

In this episode of the UCARE GA²LEN (Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network) podcast on Urticaria, Prof. Torsten Zuberbier and Prof. Hermenio Lima discuss the growing role of artificial intellig...

16 Jun 16min

Urticaria Triggers: Infection Insights

In this episode of the UCARE GA²LEN (Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network) podcast on Urticaria, Prof. Torsten Zuberbier and Prof. Maia Gotua discuss the role of infections in acute and chroni...

19 Mai 16min

A New Era in Urticaria Treatment

In this episode of “All Things Urticaria” — a podcast from UCARE, the Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network — Prof. Torsten Zuberbier and Prof. Ana Giménez-Arnau discuss the newly released inte...

23 Apr 19min

Managing Urticaria in Resource-Limited Settings

In this episode of the UCARE Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network podcast on Urticaria, Prof. Torsten Zuberbier speaks with Dr. Emma Kruger from Cape Town, South Africa, about managing urticar...

24 Mar 17min

Drug Survival of Omalizumab

In this episode of the Urticaria podcast series, Prof. Torsten Zuberbier speaks with Reineke Soegiharto, PhD candidate and dermatology resident from UMC Utrecht, about the international UCARE study DR...

24 Feb 17min

Visualizing Urticaria Worldwide

In this episode of the GA²LEN Urticaria Podcast, Professor Torsten Zuberbier is joined by Professor Simon Francis Thomsen from Denmark to introduce an exciting new global initiative within the UCARE n...

28 Jan 19min

A New Era for Urticaria Treatment

In this short, conference-based episode, Professor Torsten Zuberbier, President of Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network, speaks with Professor Kiran Godse from Mumbai, India, directly from the...

18 Des 20255min

Measuring What Matters: PROMs in Urticaria Care

In this episode of the GA²LEN (Global Allergy and Asthma Excellence Network) Podcast on Everything Urticaria, Professor Torsten Zuberbier talks with Dr. Karsten Weller, a leading expert and developer ...

2 Des 202519min