Cytisine induced urticaria: a case report during a smoking cessation treatment

Cytisine is considered to be the oldest medication for smoking cessation and has been used for this purpose in some Eastern/Central European and Central Asian countries for over 50 years 1,2. Like Varenicline, it is a partial agonist of the nicotinic acetylchloline receptors (nAChRs) with high affinity for the alpha-4 beta-2 nAChRs subtype, and its main action is to reduce withdrawal symptoms following smoking cessation 3,4. Several sources points towards cytisine’s efficacy and effectiveness; it’s well tolerated when taken at the recommended dose, and adverse events reported in trials are typically non-serious and self-limiting gastrointestinal and sleep disturbances 5–7. We report the first observed case of cytisine hypersensitivity reaction during a smoking cessation treatment. (www.actabiomedica.it)