[Relevance of demographic and psychological factors in pruritus]

Pruritus is a frequent phenomenon in patients in dermatology. The severity of pruritus often cannot be explained by the severity of the underlying disease or chronification processes alone. Especially then, demographic and psychological variables should also be considered as moderators of the intensity of pruritus.

Are there associations between sex, age, emotional and cognitive factors and pruritus intensity in patients with chronic pruritus (CP) and skin-healthy control subjects?

Recently published studies on the abovenamed moderators of pruritus were searched for in PubMed, collated and the results are summarized.

It was found that women reported a higher intensity of pruritus than men. In addition, negative emotions such as fear, disgust, and anger are positively associated with pruritus in patients with CP. There are also associations between cognitive factors, such as attention, catastrophizing, and pruritus.

The associations between both demographic and psychological factors and pruritus should be considered in the diagnostics and treatment of pruritus. A psychological intervention as a complementary treatment should be considered whenever patients report associations between psychological experiences and pruritus and/or automatic or extensive scratching.