Girth sizes of the body in Ukrainian men and women with variousforms of urticaria

Abstract

The relevance of studying body girth in patients with different forms of urticaria is dueto the importance of anthropometric indicators in the diagnosis and prognosis of thedisease. Urticaria, as one of the most common dermatological conditions, can presentin various clinical forms, each of which may differently impact the body, particularly byaltering body circumferences. Examining these indicators in Ukrainian men and womenallows for the identification of gender-specific and individual characteristics, whichcould be crucial for improving treatment and prevention methods for urticaria. Thepurpose of the work is to establish the peculiarities and sex differences in body girthmeasurements in young Ukrainian men and women with acute and chronic mild andsevere urticaria. Body girth measurements were determined in 40 Ukrainian men and40 young women (25-44 years according to the age periodization of WHO, 2015)patients with acute (AU) and chronic (CU) urticaria of a mild (MU) and severe (SU)course. Urticaria was diagnosed according to the EAACI/GA2LEN/EuroGuiDerm/APAAACI international guidelines. Anthropometric measurements were performed onthe right side of the body. The girth sizes of the upper and lower limbs, neck and trunkwere determined with a centimeter tape. As a control group, the girth measurements ofthe body of practically healthy Ukrainian men (n=82) and women (n=101) of young agewere used, which were taken from the data bank of the research center of the NationalPirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsya. Statistical analysis of girth bodydimensions was carried out in the license package "Statistica 6.0" using non-parametricestimation methods. When comparing the body girths of men or women with urticariawith practically healthy men or women, significantly larger values or a tendency towardslarger values were established: in sick men, most of the girths of the upper limb (mainlyin patients with AU/SU), hips, waist, chest during inhalation and at rest (in patients withAU/MU, AU/SU, CU/MU and CU/SU), neck (in patients with AU/MU, AU/SU and CU/MU);in sick women - shoulder girths in stressed and relaxed states, hips, thighs, neck,waist, chest during inhalation, exhalation and in a calm state (in patients with AU/MU,AU/SU, CU/MU and CU/SU ), forearm in the lower part (in patients with AU/MU and CU/MU), crus in the upper and lower part (in patients with AU/MU and CU/MU). Whencomparing the girths of the body between men and women with urticaria, only a fewsignificant differences or trends were established: between the men, only larger valuesof the girths of the neck (in patients with AU/MU compared to AU/SU) and feet (inpatients with AU/SU vs. CU/SU); between sick women - greater values of shoulder girthsin tense and relaxed states, forearm in the lower part, hand, crus in the upper part, foot,thorax on exhalation and in a calm state (in patients with AU/MU compared to AU/SU),crus (in patients with CU/MU compared to CU/SU). Pronounced manifestations of sexualdimorphism of body girths between Ukrainian men and women with urticaria were alsoestablished: in sick men, larger values of hand and neck girths were found (in patientswith AU/MU, AU/SU, CU/MU and CU/SU), shoulder girths in tense and relaxed states,forearms in the upper and lower part, feet, waist, chest during inhalation, exhalation andin a calm state (in patients with AU/SU), shoulder in a tense state (in patients with CU/SU), forearm in the upper part (in patients with AU/MU), forearm in the lower part