Uremic pruritus is a common problem in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. We aimed to investigate the association between severity of uremic pruritus and cutaneous serine protease activity, as well as proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) expression. Twelve ESRD patients with pruritus, 4 ESRD patients without pruritus, and...

© 2011 The Authors. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1075 Journal Compilation © 2011 Acta Dermato-Venereologica. ISSN 0001-5555 A total of 334 end-stage renal disease patients with moderate-to-severe uraemic xerosis were surveyed for quality of life assessment, using the generic Short-Form (SF-12) scale and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). In parallel, the intensity of xerosis at four sites (the...

In addition to its contributing role in the development of chronic liver diseases, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with extrahepatic manifestations, particularly, cutaneous-based disorders including those with pruritus as a symptom. Pruritus is frequently associated with the development of chronic liver diseases such as cholestasis and chronic viral infection, and the ac...

Uremic pruritus affects many patients suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and has a negative impact on quality of life and survival. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment effects of different combined blood purification techniques on uremic pruritus in ESRD patients. Forty maintenance hemodialysis patients with uremic pruritus were selected and randomly divided into c...

BACKGROUND Epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa is a rare clinical subtype of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa characterized by intense pruritus, secondary scratching-induced lesions, and pronounced scarring. OBSERVATIONS We describe a patient with epidermolysis bullosa pruriginosa who was misdiagnosed as having psychogenic pruritus for several years. Except for nail (toenail) dystrophy, no feat...

Pruritus is a common symptom in systemic sclerosis (SSc), an autoimmune disease which causes fibrosis and vasculopathy in skin, lung, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Unfortunately, pruritus has limited treatment options in this disease. Pilot trials of low-dose naltrexone hydrochloride (LDN) for pruritus, pain, and quality of life (QOL) in other GIT diseases have been successful. In this case...

BACKGROUND Pruritus is a distressing symptom seen in palliative care. There is limited high-quality evidence of pharmaceutical treatments for pruritus in palliative care, including the use of paroxetine. CASE PRESENTATION I present a case of a 70-year-old caucasian woman with metastatic ovarian cancer who presented with severe pruritus. She had been diagnosed with bile duct obstruction 1 mont...

Pruritus is a well-known manifestation of various cholestatic disorders. Increased opioidergic tone is one of the mechanisms for this. This prospective, uncontrolled study was done to determine the efficacy of intravenous naloxone in pruritus of acute cholestasis. Twenty-two patients with severe pruritus (based on visual analogue scale [VAS] score of 0-100 and associated symptoms) were treated ...

BACKGROUND Idiopathic perianal pruritus is a poorly managed condition. Topical corticosteroids are effective in idiopathic perianal pruritus, but they may cause some side effects. In this study, the effectiveness of topical steroids were compared with perianal cleansers in the treatment of idiopathic perianal pruritus. PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventy two patients with the complaint of perianal p...

This review highlights recent advances in pathophysiology and treatment for uremic pruritus, especially focusing on various interventions. Pruritus in patients on hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) still remains an unresolved issue. Recently, the efficacy and safety of nalfurafine hydrochloride have been reported in Japan, and at present, more than thirty thousand patients receive t...