The prevalence and clinical characteristics of pruritus among patients with extensive psoriasis

Background Many patients with psoriasis are known to suffer from itch. Howe ver, the data available regarding itch and its characteristics in psoriasis are sparse. Objectives To examine the prevalence of pruritus and various related clinic al characteristics in 101 patients with extensive psoriasis. Methods A structured questionnaire was used. Results Generalized pruritus was a feature of psoriasis in 84% of the patie nts. In 77% of these it appeared on a daily basis. It involved all areas of the body, had prolonged duration and appeared mainly in the evening and at night. The pruritus significantly affected quality of life. Important dail y factors that were found to exacerbate the itch were ambient heat (81%), s kin dryness (80%), sweating (65%) and stress (55%). Important factors that were found to ameliorate itch were sleep (57%) and cold showers (55%). The pruritus was found to be unresponsive to most available antipruritics, incl uding phototherapy. Itch intensity as reflected by a visual analogue scale did not correlate with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores; however, a highly significant correlation was obtained between the affective descript ors and itch intensity in the worst itch states (r = 0.6, P < 0.001). Conclusions Pruritus is a common feature of psoriasis and affects quality o f life.