HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury

Itching (pruritus)

Māngeongeo

Itching (pruritus) is the sensation on your skin that makes you want to scratch.

The feeling can be unpleasant and uncomfortable. You may feel the sensation of itching in one area of your body or your whole body, depending on the cause.

In severe cases, itching can cause sleep disturbance, anxiety and depression.

Causes of itching

There are many possible causes of itching, including:

• dry skin
• a skin condition such as eczema, an allergic reaction, psoriasis, hives or fungal skin infections – these are usually accompanied by a skin rash
• a health condition such as anaemia, liver disease, chronic kidney disease or thyroid disorders
• hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause
• the side effect of medicines, such as opioids or some antibiotics.

Sometimes the exact cause of itching cannot be found.

Diagnosing itching

Your general practice team will ask you questions about the itching, including whether you have any other symptoms and any allergies. They will also examine you and check your skin to see if you have a rash.

You may need to have tests done, depending on what your general practice team thinks is causing your itching. These may include:

• blood tests such as a full blood count, renal function tests or liver function tests
• imaging tests such as a chest X-ray or abdominal ultrasound
• a skin swab or biopsy (taking a sample of skin to look at under a microscope).

Treating itching

The treatment depends on the cause of your itching. Your general practice team may prescribe medicines or treatment to relieve the itching, including:

• moisturisers (emollients) to keep your skin moist
• topical corticosteroids or oral steroids
• antihistamines
• amitriptyline
• gabapentin
• phototherapy
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to break the itch-scratch cycle.

Your doctor may also refer you to a specialist skin doctor (a dermatologist) if your symptoms aren't relieved by these medicines or you have complications.

Self-care for itching

There are some self-care measures that you can do to help relieve the symptom of itching.

• If you have dry skin, use moisturisers or emollients often. You can keep these in the fridge for an extra cooling treatment.
• Avoid using skin irritants such as soaps or foaming body washes. Your general practice team can prescribe soap substitutes to clean your skin.
• Heat will make the itching worse. Keep yourself cool, especially at night.
• Make sure the water is not too hot in your shower or bath. Bathe quickly in cool or tepid water no more than once a day.
• Scratching makes itching worse. Try not to scratch your skin when you feel itchy and avoid situations that make you want to scratch.
• Keep your nails clean and short to reduce the skin damage caused by scratching.
• Wear cotton gloves at night to reduce scratching in your sleep.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• DermNet NZ – Pruritus

  More detailed information about pruritus (the medical term for itch).

Content shared between HealthInfo Canterbury, KidsHealth and Health Navigator NZ as part of a National Health Content Hub collaborative. Page created May 2023.

Sources

Page reference: 1119622

Review key: HIITC-1119622