Clinical Study of Itch in Korean Patients with Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Shim, Woo Haing; Mun, Je Ho; Jwa, Seung Wook; Song, Margaret; Kim, Hoon Soo; Ko, Hyun Chang; Kim, Moon Bum; Kim, Do Won; Kim, Byung Soo

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Although itch is a cardinal symptom of urticaria, its clinical characteristics are not well elucidated in Korean urticaria patients.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize the clinical patterns and sensory, affective and therapeutic dimensions of itch in Korean patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU).
METHODS
A face-to-face structured questionnaire based on the McGill pain questionnaire was given to 83 patients with CIU.
RESULTS
All of the 83 patients recruited in the study have fully filled-out the questionnaire. In 71.1 percent of the total CIU patients, itch appeared on a daily basis. Patients experienced exacerbation of itch during winter (41.0%) and at night (37.3%). The buttock (50.6%) and front of the thigh (50.6%) were major sites of involvement with itchiness. Patients perceived itch as burning (62.7%), stinging (44.6%) and crawling sensations (42.2%), rather than stabbing (25.3%), tickling (24.1%) and pinching (10.8%). The main associated symptom was heating sensation (60.2%). The majority of the patients answered that itch was annoying (84.3%), worrisome (80.7%) and bothersome (78.3%). Korean CIU patients answered that stress (36.1%) and hot climate (33.7%) aggravated the itch, and medications (55.4%) alleviated it. Among antihistamines, systemic corticosteroids and topical corticosteroids, antihistamines were the most effective treatment for management of itch in patients with CIU.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the detailed description and characteristics of itch in Korean CIU patients. Moreover, we tried to emphasize the clinical differences of itch in CIU patients in comparison with that in atopic dermatitis patients.