Itching is Debilitating

As anyone with eczema knows, the chronic itch can be debilitating. A new study as reported by ABC concluded that chronic itching can be upsetting to one's life as chronic pain. Interstingly, some study participants reported that they would give up 13% of their life span to live itch free. And they found that being married helps patients deal with chronic itching better, presumably because they have more of a support system.

Eczema and Children

A new study of EU parents with children suffering from eczema demonstrates that it can have far reaching impacts. For children with moderate to severe eczema, the researchers found that the children missed out sometimes on sport or play activities, and that it can hurt their self-esteem and cause feelings of frustration and of "being different."

One parent was quoted in a sys-con.com article as saying:
"Eczema is far more than dry skin or a bit of an itch. Eczema can demand an all consuming lifestyle and coping techniques which need to be embraced by not only the sufferer, but their family as well. Only when people fully understand the far reaching impact of this relentlessly itchy, intolerable skin condition can we hope for better treatment and acceptance."

Contagious Itch

A new study from itch-expert Dr. Gil Yosipovitch and colleagues at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has found that itch can be contagious like yawning. Individuals with eczema appear to be particularly susceptible. Patients with atopic dermatitis had a higher itch intensity and scratched more after watching someone else scratch than those without it. They also appeared to scratch over a wide area of the body in response to seeing someone else itch, not just in the same localized place. The researchers note that this is further evidence of the powerful role of the brain - both in respect to itch and eczema. Eczema patients know how powerful mental response to itching can be...but that doesn't necessarily make it easier to cope! I guess the only other take-home message from this for eczema patients is to look the other way if you see someone start to scratch!

Itchiness and Stress

A new study in the Archives of Dermatology explored the relationship between itch and stress (see coverage by Reuters here). Unsurprisingly, chronic itch, or pruritus, can be stressful. The more persistent the itch, the higher the stress level. While this may suggest that stress management techniques can be useful to those suffering from pruritius, it also suggests that the impact of diseases for which pruritius is a symptom, such as severe atopic dermatitis, is much deeper than what is seen on the surface of the skin.

Recession Induced Flare-ups?

Most eczema patients will tell you that stress exacerbates their itching, scratching, and rash. I just came across an interesting news blurb that reports on recent research that claims the recession and the stress it causes has led to an increase in skin diseases like eczema. Apparently lots of people are suffering from economic anxiety induced flare-ups. In times of stress, be extra vigilant about maintaining good skin care routines and try hard not to unconsciously scratch as this breaks the skin and leads to the itch-scratch cycle. Common stress reduction techniques can help these types of flare-ups (just avoid other triggers, like scented bath oils or long hot showers!). Try:

• meditation tapes
• deep breathing
• focusing on things you are grateful for
• happy music
• quiet walks
• funny movies
• exercise (but shower off sweat quickly and apply moisturizers!)
• find support in friends and family
• biofeedback
• get enough sleep
  

More Itch Research and A Few Home Remedies

The Independent recently reported on itch research from Washington University in my hometown of St. Louis. Apparently, it was previously thought that itch was simply a milder form of pain, but the Wash U research shows that itch and pain are conducted on separate nerve pathways. We can all hope that this will lead to drugs that can target and eliminate constant itching. But they suggest such treatments are decades away.

The article also offered some home remedies for relieving itching. Those that seemed potentially useful were rubbing ice on the area or a cold compress (the numbing from the cold can help, I've tried it), rubbing crushed mint leaves on the area (if it doesn't cause irritation, this might be similar to the benefit from menthol in lotions), oat baths, and calamine lotion (I've never seen calamine discussed for eczema, but it is recommended for the itch from poison ivy, so might be worth a shot).

Itch Survey

A study published in the British Journal of Dermatology this year (160: 642-644) reports on a "characteristics of itch" survey. The survey was available on the National Eczema Association for Science and Education website. 304 eczema-suffers answered.

They asked patients how many times a day they itch. 91% said at least once a day, 68% said at least 5 times a day, and 38.3% said more than 10 times a day.

Not surprisingly, respondents reported experiencing itch more frequently at night, in the evening, and in the winter.

Over half of respondents reported feeling pain and heat with itch.

A quarter of respondents reported itching with sweat.

New York Times Interview with Dr. Gil Yosipovitch

The New York Times has an interview with Dr. Gil Yosipovitch, a dermatologist at Wake Forest University who studies itch.

He is very understanding of the chronic itch associated with eczema, which is comforting for anyone who suffers from pruritus (techincal word for intense itching). Interestingly, he notes that the number one cause of itching is eczema. But he says that only 10% of eczema patients have severe itch. This may explain why I've seen several dermatologists who are very dismissive of the persistant itch and how disruptive to you life it can be. It is nice to see someone who understands how terrible it is!

He discusses how scratching can make the itch worse, leading to terrible itch-scratch cycle:
"So, now we can understand that brain-wise, it could feel like scratching helps for a couple of hours. But in chronic eczema the more you scratch, the more you damage the upper layers of the skin barrier, the protective layer. And the more you damage it, the nerve fibers are — I would call them wacky, they are not functioning as they are supposed to. They become overactivated, so that scratching actually intensifies the perception of itch, causing more itch. So that can explain why we have that itch-scratch cycle."

On treatments, he notes that the use of steriods can be essential for eczema patients and that anti-histimines at night can have a sedating effect to help patients sleep. He mentions new reasearch they may lead to anti-itch medications but they appear many years off still -- sadly for those of us suffering now.