Pruritus

Pruritus may result from dermatological disease or from systemic, neurological, or psychiatric disease. It can also occur as a side effect of medications. In some cases, no single cause is identified and the itch is multifactorial.

The supplied grounding does not describe a specific biological mechanism for pruritus beyond the symptom of itch itself. It indicates that chronic pruritus can originate from skin disease, non-diseased skin, systemic illness, neurological disease, psychiatric disease, or medication effects. A precise diagnostic work-up is needed because the underlying mechanism depends on the cause.

Risk is increased by the presence of underlying skin disease, systemic disease, neurological disease, psychiatric disease, or exposure to medications that can cause itch. Chronic pruritus is reported more frequently in certain patient populations, including haemodialysis patients and patients with skin diseases such as urticaria and atopic dermatitis. The grounding also notes that chronic pruritus is common in the general population over a lifetime.

Management of chronic pruritus includes treatment of the underlying disease. It also includes topical treatment modalities and symptomatic therapy, but the supplied grounding does not specify drug classes beyond this general approach. A precise diagnostic work-up is part of standard management.