Itching: A common & disgusting health problem

It is very difficult to find a person who didnt have the experience of itching in a lifetime.It is not a disease but the commonest manifestion as a symptom.Itching is a skin tingling or irritation that force you to scratch in an area of your body.The severity of itching varies according to the disease.It may affect in a focal or whole area of your body.There are hundreds of disease in which itching is a symptom.Other than dermatological disease,itching may be a manifestation of systemic diseases.



Diseases of skin

■Inflammatory skin diseases like atopic eczema & different type of dermatitis;
■Bacterial skin infection such as impetigo,cellulitis,foliculitis;
■Viral attack like chicken pox,measles ,herpes etc;
■fungal or yeast infection such as tinea versicolor,tinea cruris,candidiasis;
■parasitic skin manifestations like scabies,head & body liece;
■allergic reactions from cosmetics,apparals,food or other materials;
■diseases from climate change such as sunburn,prickly heat,in summer,xerosis or dry skin in winter;
■skin changes in senile person,menopause & pegnancy condition;
■some drug reaction & insectbites;
■Urtacaria,psoriasis,icthyosis,pemphigoid,lichenplanus

liver disease

Itching is a symptom in some hepato-billiary disease,such as Jaundice,hepatitis A,B,C,D & E infection,liver cirrohsis,alcoholic liver disease,Cholecystitis & cholelithiasis(Gall stone),bile duct obstuction.

Kidney disease

Some kidney diseases may accompany itching,like infection of kidney components,renal failure,diabetic nephropathy,end stage kidny disease.

Blood disorders

Itching may arises in some blood diseases such as,thalassemia,leukemia or blood cancer,polecythemia,hemolytic & sickle cell anaemia,lymphoma.



Beside above mentioned diseases,thyroid problem,diabetes,pancreatitis,scleroderma,sarcoidosis may be a cause of itching.



Treatment

Antihistamine drugs intake & use of emlloints like petrolium gelly,glycerin ,oils may help primarily at home.

After finding the cause of itching,treatment of that disease relieves itching.



Please remember one thing,itching may look simple complain but most often it is a symptom of complicated disease.It needs proper attention & treatment,otherwise it may threaten your life too.