Which patients with chronic pruritus are presented for psychological assessment by their dermatologists? Results from a consecutive sample

Abstract

Chronic pruritus (CP) is a frequent symptom that poses special diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for dermatologists. To identify the causes underlying CP, a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment is necessary1,2 . CP can impair life quality and can be associated with clinically relevant depression and anxiety levels; also, a psychiatric comorbidity can be present independent of CP, but it may affect its dermatological management1,3,4 . However, not all CP patients undergo a psychological assessment. It remains unclear which individual variables of CP patients would suggest a referral for a psychological assessment by their dermatologists. We sought to investigate this relationship in a large sample of CP patients attending the Center for Chronic Pruritus (KCP) at the University of Münster. Between 2007 and 2016, data from 6,374 consecutive CP inpatients were entered into the database. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.