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Secondary Reactive Conditions in Pruritic Skin

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Pruritus

Abstract

The definition of itch as an unpleasant sensation that elicits an urge or desire to scratch describes the close relationship between the feeling and the response. The physiological role of scratching in response to acute itch is to remove harmful agents from the skin. In the short term, mild scratching relieves itching. With more fierce and prolonged scratching in chronic pruritus, the skin becomes damaged and the changes induced intensify itch, setting up a vicious circle. In pruritus due to an underlying internal disease, these reactive skin conditions occur in normal skin, whereas in inflammatory skin disease they may be superimposed on the primary skin lesions. This chapter will summarize elicitation of scratching as well as different clinical patterns it induces, such as excoriations, lichen simplex chronicus, lichen amyloidosus and prurigo.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Getingev, Lund, Sweden

    Joanna Wallengren

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  1. Joanna Wallengren
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Dermatologie, CHU Brest, Brest, 29200, France

    Laurent Misery

  2. Medizinische Einrichtungen, Klinik und Poliklinik für, Universitätsklinikum Münster, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, Münster, 48149, Germany

    Sonja Ständer

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Wallengren, J. (2010). Secondary Reactive Conditions in Pruritic Skin. In: Misery, L., Ständer, S. (eds) Pruritus. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-322-8_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-322-8_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84882-321-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-84882-322-8

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