Diabetes and pruritus

Authors

  • Parastoo Babakinejad Department of Dermatology, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, UK
  • Shernaz Walton Department of Dermatology, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Hull York Medical School, Hull, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15277/bjd.2016.095

Keywords:

pruritus, diabetes, neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, excoriations, lichenification, candidiasis, emollients, antipruritics, ultraviolet therapy

Abstract

Pruritus is often reported to be associated with diabetes mellitus although this remains controversial. Careful history-taking and examination are key to establishing the cause of itching in a patient with diabetes after excluding local cutaneous disease or an underlying lymphoma. Options for management of this distressing condition include emollients, topical antipruritic agents (e.g. calamine, menthol, capsaicin, corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors or local anaesthetics), systemic antipruritic agents (e.g. H1 antihistamines, doxepin and gabapentin), broad-band or narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy and psychological therapies.

References

Yosipovitch G, Patel TS. Pathophysiology and clinical aspects of pruritus. In: Goldsmith LA, Katz SI, Gilchrest BA, Paller AS, Leffell DJ and Wolff K (eds). Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine, 8th edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2012, 1147–57.

Kopyciok ME, Ständer HF, Osada N, Steinke S, Ständer S. Prevalence and characteristics of pruritus: a one-week cross-sectional study in a German dermatology practice. Acta Derm Venereol 2016;96:50–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.2340/00015555-2166.

Etter L, Myers SA. Pruritus in systemic disease: mechanisms and management. Dermatol Clin 2002;20:459–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0733-8635(02)00011-6

Al-Mutairi N, Zaki A, Sharma AK, Al Sheltawi M. Cutaneous manifestations of diabetes mellitus. Med Princ Pract 2006;15:427–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000095488

Teoh YL. Pruritus in the elderly and its impact on quality of life. J Am Acad Dermatol 2012;66(4 Suppl 1):AB11.

Neilly JB. Pruritus in diabetes mellitus: investigation of prevalence and correlation with diabetes control. Diabetes Care 1986;9:273–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/diacare.9.3.273

Weisshaar E, Fleischer Jr AB, Bernhard JD, Cropley TG. Pruritus and dysesthesia. In: Bolognia JL, Jorizzo JL, Schaffer JV (eds). Dermatology, 3rd edition. Elsevier, 2012, 111–20.

Zaidi Z, Walton S. Pruritus. In: Zaidi Z, Walton S (eds). A Manual of Dermatology, 2nd edition. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, 2015, 469–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.5005/jp/books/12564_23

Ko MJ, Chiu HC, Jee SH, Hu FC, Tseng CH. Postprandial blood glucose is associated with generalized pruritus in patients with type 2 diabetes. Eur J Dermatol 2013;23:688–93. 10.1684/ejd.2013.2100

Afsar B, Elsurer Afsar R. HbA1c is related with uremic pruritus in diabetic and nondiabetic hemodialysis patients. Ren Fail 2012;34:1264–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/0886022X.2011.560401

Scribner M. Diabetes and pruritus of scalp. JAMA 1977;237:155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1977.03270420027007

Greaves MW. Itching in systemic disease. In: Burns DA, Breathnach SM, Champion RH, Burton JL (eds). Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology, 8th edition. Blackwell Publishing, 2010, 21.11.

Downloads

Published

2016-09-27

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 4 (2016)

Section

Reviews

License

Publish & Transfer of Copyright Agreement
For the mutual benefit and protection of the Author and the Journal Owner/Publisher it is necessary that the Author provides formal written Consent to Publish and Transfer of Copyright before publication of the Work.