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Post-Burn Pruritus and Its Management—Current and New Avenues for Treatment

  • Burns (N Namias, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This article seeks to review the current literature on post-burn pruritus and its treatments, as well as to propose new treatments that may be of potential benefit for these patients.

Recent Findings

Post-burn pruritus has been reported to affect as many as 93% of patients after a burn injury. Pruritus is extremely distressing to these patients, yet the current state of treatment, mostly antihistamines and emollients, is still widely ineffective in providing relief of itch.

Summary

Therapies that are effective in treating pruritus and that may act as superior treatment options for patients suffering from post-burn pruritus include gabapentin and pregabalin, topical ketamine-lidocaine-amitriptyline, opioid medications, neurokinin-1 inhibitors, antidepressants, anti-cytokines, PAR-2 inhibitors, and botulinum toxin among others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Ave, RMSB 2067B, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Emilie Fowler & Gil Yosipovitch

  2. Miami Itch Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, USA

    Emilie Fowler & Gil Yosipovitch

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  1. Emilie Fowler
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  2. Gil Yosipovitch
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Correspondence to Gil Yosipovitch.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Yosipovitch reports grants and personal fees from TREVI, grants and personal fees from Menlo, personal fees from Sienna, personal fees from Galderma, grants and personal fees from Pfizer, grants and personal fees from Sanofi/ Regeneron, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Opko, personal fees from Bayer, and grants from Sun Pharma, outside the submitted work. Dr. Fowler has nothing to disclose.

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Fowler, E., Yosipovitch, G. Post-Burn Pruritus and Its Management—Current and New Avenues for Treatment. Curr Trauma Rep 5, 90–98 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40719-019-00164-8

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