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Abstract

Introduction: Chronic Urticaria (CU) has been considered to be associated with autoimmune conditions especially autoimmune thyroid disease. In majority of cases exact etiology is unknown, however in some cases the causative factors have been identified including infections and physical stimuli. The aim of our study was to assess the association between chronic urticaria and autoimmune thyroiditis especially in our population.\nMethodology: A case control study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1st February 2019 to 31st July 2019, aimed at assessing the association between thyroid autoimmunity and chronic urticaria.\nResults: Among the cases, 7(23.3%) and among control only 2(6.7%) had thyroid autoimmunity. The Odds ratio was 4.261 which is> 1 which means that’s there are greater chances of thyroid autoimmunity among the cases with urticaria and screening for thyroiditis would be appropriate in patients with urticaria.\nConclusions: The study revealed higher odds of thyroid autoimmunity among urticaria patients as compared to controls. Thyroid profile should be assessed for these patients in routine practice for timely diagnosis, proper treatment and to minimize complications.