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Multiple factors of chronic pruritus complicated quality of life

Multiple factors influenced the complex nature of chronic pruritus and affected the quality of life in patients with the condition, according to results from nationwide telephone surveys.

“We hope that better appreciation of these factors will improve the clinical evaluation and treatment of chronic pruritus,” Christopher W. Carr, MD, of the department of dermatology at Emory University, and colleagues wrote. “Future directions of research include investigating why race influences the impact of chronic pruritus on [quality of life] and exploring whether support groups or personality-specific interventions may help mitigate the [quality of life] impact of chronic pruritus.”

The cross-sectional study data were based on a nationwide telephone survey of US military veterans from the Veterans Hospital Patient Database. Of 6,000 calls, 1,075 patients chose to participate in the ItchyQoL, a validated, pruritus-specific instrument designed to measure how the condition impacts quality of life, the researchers wrote. Among responders, 405 had chronic pruritus.

Factors that complicated quality of life included age (P=.007), race (P=.05), marital status (P=.04), and personality (extroversion, P=.03; neuroticism, P=.01). Also assessed were pruritus characteristics, such as severity (P<.001), duration (P=.01), frequency (P<.001) and location (P=.005); with the potential for etiology factors (cutaneous vs. systemic, P=.03), researchers wrote.

Sex, education level, employment status and income were not statistically significant.

Disclosure: Suephy C. Chen, MD, MS, reports receiving royalties from Eli Lilly and Pierre Fabre, consulting for Biogen and Astellas, and serving as a principal investigator for Hoffman-LaRoche and Galderma.