Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A double-blind crossover study of inhibition of histamine-induced pruritus by three commonly prescribed antihistamines was conducted on 28 normal subjects. Drugs used included diphenhydramine HCl (Benadryl), cyproheptadine (Periactin), hydroxyzine HCl (Atarax), and a lactose placebo in identical capsules. Intradermal histamine dose-response thresholds of pruritus were obtained before and after pretreatment with the three antihistamines and placebo in each subject. Analysis of data revealed a fivefold increase above baseline of the histamine dose required to produce pruritus following both cyproheptadine and placebo. This compared to a tenfold increase following diphenhydramine and a 750-fold increase following hydroxyzine HCl. The most common side effect was drowsiness, which occurred with all three drugs.
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PMID:Suppression of histamine-induced pruritus by three antihistaminic drugs. 23 88

After discharge, the patient with burns is often plagued with persistent, unrelenting itching. The purpose of this study was to document the incidence and severity of itching in discharged patients with burns, to determine factors that may help in prediction of the problem, and to study the effectiveness of Benadryl (Parke-Davis, Morris Plains N.J.), Atarax (Roerig Div. of Pfizer Inc., New York, N.Y.) and Polyhist Forte (Mikart Inc., Atlanta, Ga.) in relieving the symptom. All adult patients who were discharged to our outpatient clinic were entered into this prospective study. Patients were started on one of the three agents, and agents were changed monthly in a randomized fashion. Severity of itching was determined by a visual linear analogue scale. The study population had a mean age of 35.9 +/- 12.8 years, and a mean burn size of 19.1% +/- 15.3% total body surface area. Eighty-seven percent of discharged patients complained of itching. The average severity of the problem was 7.6 +/- 1.9. A significant difference (p less than 0.05) among groups was found when the population was analyzed for size of burn and duration of time to wound closure. Symptoms varied with anatomic area burned. One hundred percent of patients with leg burns and 70% of those with arm burns complained of itching. Facial burns did not cause itching in any of the patients. The agents that were tested produced complete relief in only 20% of patients, partial relief in 60%, and no relief in 20%. There were no differences in response to the three agents tested. All three of the drugs that were tested had similar onset of action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Severe itching in the patient with burns. 168 27

The search for evidence based information and its evaluation for planning the care of a woman with pruritus without visible signs on her skin is exemplified and described in this article. Literature was sought with the key words "itch", "pruritus", and "elderly" in medline, Cinahl and the Cochrane library. Retrieved studies were appraised by the criteria for valid information of evidence based nursing. Most pruritus studies were about pruritus with skin rash or about pruritus connected to liver or renal failure. Randomised controlled trials about the treatment of pruritus were characterised by small sample sizes or were done with only men or women. The little knowledge found in these studies did not help resolve the complex individual situation of the patient. Treatment suggestions from the studies: to assess the causes and exacerbating factors of pruritus; to wash the skin with water only, e.g. without soap; to emulsify the skin with Vaseline or oil at least once daily; to prevent too much heat by covering the patient just enough for him or her to feel no cold; prescribing Atarax, a histamin inhibitor of the first generation at night time; to try the antidepressant drug Doxepin; and emulsification with alcohol, menthol and cool water. There is no evidence to predict results of any one of these suggested interventions. Further research regarding the pathophysiology and the effectiveness of interventions against pruritus is needed.
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PMID:[Pruritus without skin manifestation--what kind of state of the art nursing intervention?]. 1461 17