[Prevalence of chronic prurigo in Argentina: A cross-sectional descriptive study]

To describe the prevalence and epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with chronic prurigo.

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on adult patients enrolled in the Medical Care Program of the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina (PMHI), between January 1, 2018, and January 1, 2023.

132,535 patients were registered, of whom 144 had chronic prurigo; 105 (73%) were women with a median age of 67.5 years (IQR 51-79). The point prevalence of chronic prurigo was 0.11% (95% CI: 0.09-0.13%), significantly higher in women than in men (0.13% [95% CI: 0.11-0.16%] vs 0.07% [95% CI: 0.05-0.09%], p<0.0006). The most frequent manifestations were papules (90%) and excoriations (84.7%), followed by plaques (21.5%) and nodules (18.7%). The median time to diagnosis was 168 days (IQR 36-765). The most frequently prescribed treatments were emollients, topical corticosteroids, and antihistamines.

The prevalence of chronic prurigo in our cohort differs from that reported in other countries. Unlike previous studies, no statistically significant associations with other skin diseases were found. The treatment the patients received was inconsistent with that proposed in international guidelines.