Itch Workgroup

Workgroup Chairs

Itch is an uncomfortable, irritating sensation that makes you want to scratch. Also known as pruritus (proo-RIE-tus), itch is often caused by a mosquito bite or dry skin. The latter is more common in older adults, as skin tends to become drier with age. Apart from this, long-lasting “chronic” pruritus is a severe condition that can be a symptom of an underlying disease and can become an own disease state. Chronic pruritus is very burdensome to affected persons and impacts the sleep and quality of life.

Depending on the cause of pruritus, your skin may appear normal, red, rough or affected by scratch marks. Repeated scratching can cause raised thick areas of skin that might bleed or become infected.

In this workgroup we aim to improve understanding of the definition, pathophysiology and treatment of emerging itch conditions such as chronic prurigo nodularis, notalgia paresthetica, chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus, and chronic pruritus of unknown origin. Along with this, our aim is to properly define itch as a sensation, disease symptom and disease on its own right. The future goals are to improve itch awareness across the board and also help to define new metrics.

Source: Mayoclinic.org