Itchy skin
Itching of the skin is understood as a specific unpleasant sensation that causes the need to scratch the affected area. This is not an independent disease, but just a symptom that most often indicates damage to the skin, nervous system or internal organs.
Varieties of itchy skin
The prevalence is distinguished:
- Localized itching (eg, itchy scalp, itching on the flexor side of the wrists, or itchy skin on the hands);
- Generalized itching.
Itching of the skin is a subjective sensation, its intensity is difficult to assess, but it can be pronounced or insignificant, over time - constant or periodic.
Causes of itchy skin
The mechanism of itching is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. It is based on a chain of sequential nervous and humoral reactions in the skin, and many different factors can trigger this chain.
It is known that pain and itching are perceived by the same receptors in the skin. Biologically active substances secreted by leukocytes and other cells of the immune system play a huge role in the origin of itchy skin. These include histamine, leukotrienes, bradykinin, serotonin, etc. In another way, these substances are also called inflammatory mediators.
Local causes of itchy skin:
- Excessive dryness of the skin;
- Allergic reaction or irritation;
- Infectious and parasitic processes in the skin;
- Skin elements as a manifestation of certain infections (for example, with chickenpox, scarlet fever, etc.).
Generalized pruritus causes:
- Increased levels of bilirubin in the blood;
- Mental disorders;
- Endocrine disorders (eg diabetes mellitus);
- Diseases of the blood system (anemia, polycythemia);
- A number of oncological diseases.
Itchy skin for certain diseases
Itchy hands can be a symptom of scabies caused by the itch mite. In this case, itching of the skin of the hands is determined between the fingers, on the wrists (flexor side), often passing to the skin of the abdomen and scrotum in men. The mite chooses places with the most delicate and thin skin for breeding. In the evening and at night, itching with scabies worsens. Scabies is not characterized by itching of the scalp and face.
With diabetes mellitus, itching of the skin of the body in the anus and genitals occurs. The reason for this is the activation of a candidal fungus, which feeds on glucose. In children, itching of the skin near the anus occurs with enterobiasis.
Itching of the scalp is possible with seborrhea (when the skin is very oily) or head lice. Seborrhea is also characterized by oily hair that gets dirty quickly, dandruff and crusts. If lice live on a person's head, then you can see their whitish nits glued to the hair, the insects themselves, which move relatively quickly, as well as traces of scratching on the skin.
Itching in the leg area is due to stagnation of blood in the vasculature on the legs.
With psoriasis, the skin itches in limited areas covered with red psoriatic plaques with a whitish coating that can be easily removed.
With liver diseases and stagnation of bile in the liver, bile acids begin to be deposited deep in the skin, which irritate the receptors of the nerve endings, causing itching of the skin of the body. Usually in these cases, the level of bilirubin and liver enzymes is also increased, and the skin itself is colored in various shades of yellowish color.
The last stages of renal failure are also often accompanied by itching of the skin of the body due to the deposition of excess urea and urochromes in the skin.
Itching in certain conditions
During pregnancy in the third trimester, due to toxicosis, a woman can often be bothered by itching of the skin of the body. It is believed that the reason for this is the stagnation of bile inside the liver.
Senile itching is due to the fact that the functions of the sebaceous glands decrease with age. Because of this, older people suffer from excessive dry skin and itching.
Cancer patients also suffer from itching during chemotherapy and radiation therapy due to the side effects of drugs and radiation.
Treatment of itchy skin
Before you follow the recommendations for the treatment of itchy skin, you should exclude factors that cause excessive dryness. These include: washing hands with too hot water and soap, wearing synthetic clothing, emotional distress, taking certain medications (antibiotics, a number of narcotic drugs). Only if all these influences are eliminated will the treatment of itchy skin be effective. In case of infectious and parasitic skin lesions, the cause of itching of the skin should be directly addressed. These are local antiseptics and antibiotics, remedies for lice and worms.
With an allergic origin of itching of the skin, antihistamines give a good effect, both for ingestion and external forms in the form of lotion, ointment, gel. The doctor may prescribe topical glucocorticoids for a short period of time. In the complex of treatment of itchy skin, sedatives and sedatives are often included. With stagnation of bile, agents that bind bile acids (preparations of urodeoxycholic acid) are used.
YouTube video related to the article:
The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
