TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hawro, Tomasz
A1  - Przybylowicz, Katarzyna
A1  - Spindler, Max
A1  - Hawro, Marlena
A1  - Steć, Michał
A1  - Altrichter, Sabine
A1  - Weller, Karsten
A1  - Magerl, Markus
A1  - Reidel, Ulrich
A1  - Alarbeed, Ezzat
A1  - Alraboni, Ola
A1  - Maurer, Marcus
A1  - Metz, Martin
T1  - The characteristics and impact of pruritus in adult dermatology patients
T2  - Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
N2  - Background:
Pruritus often accompanies chronic skin diseases, exerting considerable burden on many areas of patient functioning; this burden and the features of pruritus remain insufficiently characterized.

Objective:
To investigate characteristics, including localization patterns, and burden of pruritus in patients with chronic dermatoses.

Methods:
We recruited 800 patients with active chronic skin diseases. We assessed pruritus intensity, localization, and further characteristics. We used validated questionnaires to assess quality of life, work productivity and activity impairment, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality.

Results:
Nine out of every 10 patients had experienced pruritus throughout their disease and 73% in the last 7 days. Pruritus often affected the entire body and was not restricted to skin lesions. Patients with moderate to severe pruritus reported significantly more impairment to their sleep quality and work productivity, and they were more depressed and anxious than control individuals and patients with mild or no pruritus. Suicidal ideations were highly prevalent in patients with chronic pruritus (18.5%) and atopic dermatitis (11.8%).

Conclusions:
Pruritus prevalence and intensity are very high across all dermatoses studied; intensity is linked to impairment in many areas of daily functioning. Effective treatment strategies are urgently required to treat pruritus and the underlying skin disease. ( J Am Acad Dermatol 2021;84:691-700.)
KW  - activity
KW  - anxiety
KW  - depression
KW  - pruritus
KW  - quality of life
KW  - sleep quality
KW  - suicidal ideations
KW  - work productivity
Y1  - 2020
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/62720
SN  - 0190-9622
SN  - 1097-6787
VL  - 84
IS  - 3
SP  - 691
EP  - 700
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
ER  -