Prevalence of pruritus in the elderly in an outpatient dermatologic clinic: a monocentric pilot study
https://doi.org/10.4081/dr.2023.9778
HTML: 16
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Few studies have examined pruritus in elderly patients, a common dermatological condition. The study examines pruritus prevalence and characteristics in elderly patients referred to the Dermatology Unit, at Genoa’s Galliera Hospital. The demographic characteristics of all Outpatient Clinic patients with any skin condition were examined, focusing on pruritus patients over 65. Pruritus was present in 36/262 patients (14%; M:F =20:16; mean age: 59.55 years). About 14% of 140 patients aged ≥65 years had pruritus, with 20/262 (8%; M:F =14:6; mean age: 74.6 years) exhibiting it. Visual analog score pruritus did not differ between patients aged ≥65 years (20/36) and <65 years (16/36) statistically. In 89% of patients, itch was related to a dermatological condition, mainly psoriasis. Only extracutaneous diseases resulted more frequently in the patients aged >65. No anamnestic link was found between drug use and pruritus in these patients. We confirm that pruritus is a common skin problem that affects both sexes, young and old, and is almost always caused by an underlying skin condition (mainly psoriasis). It is rarely caused by a new drug.
Reich A, Ständer S, Szepietowski JC. Pruritus in the elderly. Clin Dermatol 2011;29:15-23.
Satoh T, Yokozeki H, Murota H, et al. 2020 guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous pruritus. J Dermatol 2021;48:e399-e413.
Chung BY, Um JY, Kim JC, et al. Pathophysiology and treatment of pruritus in elderly. Int J Mol Sci 2020;22:174.
Ikoma A, Ebata T, Fukuda R, et al. Prevalence of pruritus in the elderly with dementia: a multicenter survey of Japanese patients. Acta Derm Venereol 2020;100:adv00210.
Berger TG, Shive M, Harper GM. Pruritus in the older patient: a clinical review. JAMA 2013;310:2443-50.
Weisshaar E, Szepietowski JC, Dalgard FJ, et al. European S2k guideline on chronic pruritus. Acta Derm Venereol 2019;99:469-506.
Reich A, Heisig M, Phan NQ, et al. Visual analogue scale: evaluation of the instrument for the assessment of pruritus. Acta Derm Venereol 2012;92:497-501.
Norman RA. Xerosis and pruritus in the elderly: recognition and management. Dermatol Ther 2003;16:254-9.
Ward JR, Bernhard JD. Willan's itch and other causes of pruritus in the elderly. Int J Dermatol 2005;44:267-73.
Twycross R, Greaves MW, Handwerker H, et al. Itch: scratching more than the surface. QJM 2003;96:7-26.
Bernhard JD. Itch and pruritus: what are they, and how should itches be classified? Dermatol Ther 2005;18:288-91.
Yalçin B, Tamer E, Toy GG, et al. The prevalence of skin diseases in the elderly: analysis of 4099 geriatric patients. Int J Dermatol 2006;45:672-6.
Beauregard S, Gilchrest BA. A survey of skin problems and skin care regimens in the elderly. Arch Dermatol 1987;123:1638-43.
Thaipisuttikul Y. Pruritic skin diseases in the elderly. J Dermatol 1998;25:153-7.
Szepietowski JC, Reich A. Pruritus in psoriasis: an update. Eur J Pain 2016;20:41-6.
Kahremany S, Hofmann L, Harari M, et al. Pruritus in psoriasis and atopic dermatitis: current treatments and new perspectives. Pharmacol Rep 2021;73:443-53.
Copyright (c) 2023 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Downloads
Citations
