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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Itching is the predominant symptom of inflammatory skin diseases. Present evidence indicates that histamine and unidentified peptides mediate itching. No evidence is available that lymphokines or cytokines play a direct role as itch mediators. Prostaglandins serve an important synergistic function in itching. Evidence points to a role for opioid peptides of the central nervous system in the perception of itch and as direct mediators. Pruritus may be a prominent symptom in uraemia, biliary obstruction, atopic dermatitis and neoplasia.
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PMID:[Physiopathology of pruritus]. 752 22

Sensory aspects of uremic neuropathy were studied in 36 patients using clinical assessment and quantitative sensory tests (QST). The outstanding abnormality in sensory quality was perception of heat in response to low temperature stimuli. This paradoxical heat sensation was found in the foot in 42% (15) of patients, far beyond the normal prevalence of 10%. Paradoxical sensation was positively related to cold hypoesthesia (P = 0.0004) suggesting disinhibition as a possible mechanism. Paradoxical heat sensation also positively related to creatinine level (P = 0.0012). Pruritus was present in 20 patients (56%), intensity not related to any biochemical or clinical parameter. Signs of sensory polyneuropathy (PNP), based on at least two abnormal parameters in the clinical assessment or QST, were found in 39% of patients (14), of whom 11 had paradoxical heat sensation. Thus, in 4 patients (11%), this sensory aberration preceded other signs for PNP. Paradoxical heat sensation seems to be a common and often early expression of the sensory neuropathy in uremia.
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PMID:Paradoxical heat sensation in uremic polyneuropathy. 778 67

The authors analyzed data on 59 hemodialyzed patients who did not have significant disorders of calcium and phosphate metabolism and found that more than 60% suffered from disabling pruritus possibly related to chronic uremia. Both biochemical correlates of the prevalence of pruritus and dialysis efficacy calculated by urea kinetics were investigated. Significantly higher values of blood urea nitrogen and plasma beta 2-microglobulin just before the dialysis session were observed in pruritic patients with lower dialysis efficacy estimated by Kt/V urea and normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR). After 3 months without changing the dialysis prescriptions, 16 patients with a mean Kt/V urea and a normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR) of 1.28 and 1.22 g/kg/d, respectively, experienced significant reductions in the degree of pruritus estimated by the pruritic score, from 12.6 +/- 5.1 to 6.3 +/- 3.2. Twenty-two patients with a mean Kt/V urea and an nPCR of 1.09 and 1.01, respectively, continued to have severe pruritus (score: 12.3 +/- 4.7 to 12.7 +/- 6.4). In 9 of 22 patients with prolonged severe pruritus, dialysis efficacy was heightened with an increase in dialyzer membrane area of more than 0.3 m2. Seven of nine patients with increased dialysis prescriptions had significant reductions of the mean pruritic score, from 12.6 +/- 4.8 to 6.3 +/- 2.4, which inversely related to the significant increase of Kt/V urea from 1.05 +/- 0.25 to 1.24 +/- 0.33; among patients whose dialysis prescriptions were not changed, only one had a significant reduction in score. The authors concluded that higher dialysis efficacy with good nutritional state reduces the prevalence and degree of pruritus in hemodialyzed patients.
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PMID:Optimal dialysis improves uremic pruritus. 787 18

Itching is usually manifested by scratching. It is lacking before three months of age. The practitioner must determine whether itching is generalised or localised and whether a skin disease is present. The main skin diseases responsible for generalised itching are scabies, atopic dermatitis, urticaria and papular urticaria. When itching is localised, contact dermatitis or pediculosis are usually responsible. Diagnosis rests on careful analysis of symptoms. In patients without skin lesions, an external cause (irritation, environment) or an internal cause (cholestasis, chronic uraemia, lymphoma, drug and psychological problems) should be considered. Therapy should be causal when possible. If not, antihistaminic drugs should be used.
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PMID:[Pruritus in children]. 793 81

Generalized or localized itch without primary skin manifestations may be the presenting symptom of serious internal diseases. Five characteristic cases of pruritus are discussed: Hodgkin's disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, polycythemia vera, iron deficiency (with pica), and uremia. Other important causes must be considered; all forms of cholestasis, including primary biliary cirrhosis, drug-induced, pregnancy-related, and extrahepatic cholestasis; other hematologic and malignant disorders such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, solid tumors, and myelodysplastic syndromes; metabolic and endocrine diseases, most notably diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and carcinoid syndrome; focal neurologic diseases such as brain tumors, cerebral infarctions and multiple sclerosis; adverse drug reactions without rash; infectious diseases, especially parasitic and HIV infections. A diagnostic laboratory screening for pruritus of undetermined origin is suggested.
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PMID:[Pruritus--also a challenge in internal medicine]. 852 44

The aetiology and the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of dry skin in uraemia are still unclear, but the hydration status of stratum corneum clearly influences the appearance of skin. The xerotic skin texture is often referred to as 'dry skin' and has been suggested as a cause of uraemic pruritus. To understand the aetiology of dry skin in uraemia we measured the status of skin surface hydration of uraemic patients with the corneometer and skin surface hydrometer, the functional capacity and the urea concentration of stratum corneum and the response of eccrine sweat gland to sudorific agent (0.05% pilocarpine HCL) in 18 age-matched haemodialysis patients and 10 healthy volunteers. We also performed the water sorption-desorption test to uraemic and control subjects after application of urea in various concentrations. Uraemic patient's skin showed decreased water content compared to control subjects. However, we found no correlation between dry skin and pruritus. Although the urea concentration of the horny layer in uraemic patients was elevated compared to control subjects (28.2 microgram/cm2 vs 5.04 micrograms/cm2, P < 0.05), its moisturizing effect to relieve pruritus is questionable because its artificial application revealed no improvement of the functional capacity of horny layer in concentration 5 times higher than the physiological concentration. Uraemic patients showed decreased sweating response to sudorific agent. In conclusion, the functional abnormalities of eccrine sweat glands may be account for dry skin in uraemic patients at least in part, but there is no correlation between xerosis and pruritus.
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PMID:Dry skin (xerosis) in patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis: the role of decreased sweating of the eccrine sweat gland. 880 24

The use of ondansetron, a selective serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, is well established in patients with nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, radiotherapy or anaesthesia and surgery. The wide distribution of 5-HT3 receptors in the body and the role of these receptors in disease have provided the rationale for investigation of ondansetron in novel applications. Preliminary data have shown ondansetron to have clinical benefit in patients with nausea and vomiting associated with drug overdosage or poisoning, anti-infective or antidepressant therapies, uraemia or neurological trauma, and in patients with pruritus. Patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders (e.g. carcinoid syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhoea associated with cryptosporidiosis or diabetes, and chronic refractory diarrhoea) have also shown some improvement when treated with ondansetron, as have patients with certain pain or CNS-related disorders [e.g. alcohol (ethanol) dependence, opiate withdrawal, vertigo, cerebellar tremor and Parkinson's disease treatment-related psychosis]. In contrast to conventional antiemetics, ondansetron is generally well tolerated with a lower incidence of sedation and only isolated case reports of extrapyramidal reactions. Furthermore, unlike dopamine receptor-blocking neuroleptics, ondansetron does not appear to worsen the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Thus, in addition to its established indications, preliminary results suggest that ondansetron may be beneficial in a number of novel applications. This drug may represent a treatment alternative in patients with refractory disease, or an effective treatment of conditions for which current therapies are either poorly tolerated or not available. Further investigation of ondansetron in a range of potential new applications appears to be warranted.
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PMID:Ondansetron. A review of its pharmacology and preliminary clinical findings in novel applications. 911 22

In this study perceived well-being and functioning in 28 uraemic patients (14 women and 14 men, mean age 54 years) were measured in the predialysis stage during conservative renal therapy and 3-9 months after having started maintenance dialysis treatment. The patients had participated in a patient education programme in the predialysis stage. Disease-specific symptoms, perceived health (Health Index), functional (SIP) and emotional (STAI) status were analysed. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the patients' correction of uraemia, frequency of symptoms or anxiety prior to and after having started dialysis. After having started dialysis treatment, fatigue, lack of energy and functional disability in work increased while disability in recreation and pastime decreased. Standard bicarbonate correlated significantly to the symptoms of leg cramps and itching. Serum albumin correlated significantly to eating dysfunction in the SIP. There was a large variation within the group with regard to their self-rated disturbances. Some patients reported a relatively intact quality of life, some reported a moderate influence, and some a severe decrease in quality of life irrespective of whether they were in the predialysis state or on maintenance haemodialysis or CAPD. In conclusion, dialysis treatment resulted in increased fatigue and lack of energy, while disease-specific symptoms, functional disability and anxiety did not increase during the first months on dialysis. The symptoms of itching and leg cramps correlated significantly with level of metabolic acidosis, and eating disability correlated with serum albumin levels, indicating that biochemical variables should be combined with patient assessment of health and well-being in order to optimize treatment and care. Moreover, the wide range of scores in all the research variables indicates that assessment of quality of life can be helpful in allocating support to those patients in need of it.
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PMID:Well-being and functional ability in uraemic patients before and after having started dialysis treatment. 934 57

Intense, generalized pruritus associated with mycosis fungoides was relieved using subcutaneous naloxone but intensified when changed to the new oral opioid antagonist, naltrexone. Rechallenge again led to worsening in pruritus. This unexpected adverse effect is surprising as naltrexone and naloxone are currently thought to work via similar opioid receptor binding. The worsening of the itch may have been due to adaptation in opioid receptor expression induced by prolonged naloxone therapy, possibly highlighting differential opioid receptor affinity between naltrexone and naloxone, or may have represented an idiosyncratic adverse reaction. Naltrexone and naloxone have been reported to reduce pruritus due to cholestasis, uraemia, morphine epidurals, and possibly atopic dermatitis and urticaria. Naltrexone has the convenience of oral administration and a longer half-life. The role of the opioid system and naltrexone in pruritus is reviewed.
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PMID:Naltrexone: a case report of pruritus from an antipruritic. 943 14

Naltrexone hydrochloride is a synthetic opioid receptor antagonist recently used in efforts to provide rapid opioid detoxification. Other clinical uses include alleviating itch due to cholestasis or uraemia. We report a case where unrecognised naltrexone therapy for itch affected anaesthesia, resulting in high opioid requirements. We also discuss other analgesic options utilized.
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PMID:Intraoperative high-dose remifentanil in a patient on naltrexone therapy. 1115 2


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