Pruritus in psoriasis: a study of personality traits, depression and anxiety

Pruritus intensity is often not proportional to disease severity in patients with psoriasis or other pruritic dermatoses. Increasing evidence indicates that psychological factors may play an important role in the overall aetiology of pruritus. The aim of this study was to examine whether patients with psoriasis and severe pruritus differ psychologically from those with mild pruritus. In this study of 101 patients with plaque psoriasis, those with severe pruritus reported significantly higher scores for both depression and anxiety. Using the Swedish universities Scales of Personality, 4 personality traits were significantly associated with severe pruritus: Somatic trait anxiety, Embitterment, Mistrust, and Physical trait aggression. These results indicate that patients with psoriasis and severe pruritus might have a more vulnerable psychological constitution. This suggests important opportunities for clinicians to identify patients who could benefit from psychological interventions.