Objective: To review clinical trial data to determine the benefits of using montelukast alone or as combination therapy in the treatment of urticaria.
Data sources: MEDLINE (1966-March 2006) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-October 2005) were searched to find clinical trial publications that addressed the use of montelukast in urticaria.
Data synthesis: Six clinical trials were identified. Montelukast was compared alone and as combination therapy with nonsedating histamine1-receptor antagonists to determine efficacy and safety. Patients had chronic or physical urticaria. The results were mixed. Some studies demonstrated that montelukast can decrease urticarial symptoms with minimal adverse effects, while others found no differences.
Conclusion: Large-scale, controlled trials are needed to determine which patients would likely benefit from treatment with montelukast.