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Pruritus of unknown origin: a retrospective study
1Department of Dermatology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania, USA.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
|November 17, 2001
Summary
In 14% of patients with unknown pruritus, a systemic cause was identified. For 7 patients, itching was the first sign of serious underlying conditions like cancer or infections.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Internal Medicine
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Pruritus of unknown origin is a frequent dermatological complaint.
- Systemic etiologies for pruritus are often suspected but understudied.
- Limited data exists on the prevalence of systemic causes and associated patient factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency of systemic causes for pruritus of unknown origin in an outpatient dermatology setting.
- To identify patient characteristics that may predict a systemic etiology for pruritus.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of patients presenting with pruritus of unknown origin.
- Telephone interviews were conducted to gather additional patient data.
- Data analysis focused on identifying systemic diseases and correlating them with patient demographics.
Main Results:
- A systemic cause was identified in 11 out of 50 patients (22%).
- Pruritus served as the initial presenting symptom of a systemic disease in 7 of these patients.
- No specific patient characteristics were found to be statistically linked to systemic causes of pruritus.
Conclusions:
- Systemic diseases were identified as the cause of pruritus in a notable proportion of patients.
- Pruritus can be an early indicator of serious underlying conditions, including hypothyroidism, gastric adenocarcinoma, hepatitis C, HIV, laryngeal carcinoma, graft-versus-host disease, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Further research is needed to identify predictive factors for systemic pruritus.