Itch in Elderly People: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

SIGNIFICANCE Chronic itch is a frequent problem of complex aetiopatho genesis, especially among elderly patients. This study ex tensively evaluated the prevalence, clinical characteristics and possible associations of chronic itch with systemic co morbidities and pharmacotherapy in a cohort of elderly pa tients hospitalized in a geriatric ward, which, to the best of our knowledge, have rarely been reported in the literature. The results of this study support the role of an interdisci plinary diagnostic and therapeutic approach to elderly pa tients with chronic itch. Ageing is associated with numerous medical afflictions, including dermatological symptoms and diseases. Chronic itch (CI) in elderly people is a frequent symptom of diverse aetiology. This study assessed the prevalence and detailed clinical features of CI among 153 elderly patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward, including associations with comorbidities and pharmacotherapy. CI affected 35.3% of subjects, most commonly due to cutaneous conditions, mixed aetiology and neurological disorders (53.7%, 25.9% and 11.1% of pruritic subjects, respectively). The mean itch intensity assessed with the 4-Item Itch Questionnaire (4IIQ) was 6.6 ± 2.8 points. Viral hepatitis (p = 0.02), higher serum creatinine concentration (p = 0.02) and coexistent purpuric lesions (p = 0.002) were associated with higher 4IIQ scores. In logistic regression analysis CI correlated positively with female sex, atopic dermatitis, immobility, rheumatoid arthritis and ischaemic neurological diseases, while low-molecularweight heparins, antipruritic drugs, allergy, rosacea and higher haemoglobin concentration had the contrary effect. CI is a frequent and interdisciplinary problem among elderly subjects, which requires a holistic clinical approach.

Is Basal Cell Carcinoma an Itchy Tumor? Clinical Characteristics of Itch in Basal Cell Carcinoma

“…However, with regard to itching observed in other frequent dermatologic disorders, such as atopic dermatitis (7.9 ± 2.2 points) [32], psoriasis (6.6 ± 2.6 points) [25], or lichen planus (6.5 ± 2.7 points) [33] the intensity of itch measured with NRS or VAS in patients with BCC is much lower. However, intensity of itch in our cohort of BCC patients was only slightly lower than that reported in elderly patients (3.7 ± 3.0 points) [29].…”

“…In opposition to common skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (91–100%) [ 25 , 26 ] or psoriasis (84–95%) [ 25 , 27 , 28 ], the frequency of itch in patients with BCC is much lower. However, most of all, considering the older age of our studied population (70.5 ± 11.9 years), we may also compare it to the prevalence of itch in elderly people, which we found to be as high as 35.3% in hospitalized subjects in the geriatric ward [ 29 ].…”

Clinical Characteristics of Itch in Renal Transplant Recipients

“…It assesses not only itch intensity (0-5 points), but also the frequency of itch episodes (0-5 points), areas of affected skin (0-3 points), and sleep disturbance (0-6 points) as a course of chronic itch. The maximum score for this scale is 19 points (14)(15)(16).…”

Itch in the era of COVID‐19 pandemic: An unfolding scenario

“…Itch, described as a cutaneous sensation leading to scratching, is a common symptom both in dermatologic and systemic diseases 4 . It occurs also in general population; it is especially common in elderly population 5 . It is well‐known that chronic itch may cause serious psychosocial consequences 6 …”