Pruritus

Pruritus

● Symptoms and Causes  

Pruritus is defined as an unpleasant sensation that provokes the desire to scratch. Certain systemic diseases have long been known to cause pruritus that ranges in intensity from a mild annoyance to an intractable, disabling condition. Generalized pruritus may be classified into the following categories on the basis of the underlying causative disease: renal pruritus, cholestatic pruritus, hematologic pruritus, endocrine pruritus, pruritus related to malignancy, and idiopathic generalized pruritus.

Pruritus, or itch, is most commonly associated with a primary skin disorder such as xerosis, atopic dermatitis, drug eruption, urticaria, psoriasis, arthropod assault, mastocytosis, dermatitis herpetiformis, or pemphigoid. However, when a primary skin condition cannot be identified as the cause of pruritus, then a systemic or neuropathic cause must be sought. Patients without signs of a primary skin condition should undergo a thorough evaluation of potential systemic causes of itching.

Cevikbas F, Lerner EA. Physiology and Pathophysiology of Itch. Physiol Rev. 2020 Jul 1;100(3):945-982. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00017.2019. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31869278; PMCID: PMC7474262.

 ● Models in place 【Date➡Models】