Clinical survery of the causes of itching in patients attending dermatology clinic

This is a retrospective study of 138 Jordanian patients [77 males and 61 females with a ratio of 1.26:1]. The dermatological causes were found to be the most frequent in 52.2% of the patients, causes could not be found in 7.2% and different medical causes were found in 40% of the patients. More than 70% of the patients were above 50 years old. The study concluded that pruritus is a predominant symptom of skin disease and a frequent manifestation of systemic disease. It is observed more in elderly patients rather than in the young ones. Skin disease, renal dysfunction, diabetes mellitus and psychotic causes are some of the main causes of pruritus