title: Treatment of pruritus: a new indication for serotonin type 3 receptor antagonists.
abstract: Generalized pruritus is a well-known, distressing symptom of various diseases, especially in hepatic cholestasis and chronic renal insufficiency. Its treatment is often unsatisfactory. In three patients with generalized pruritus, intravenous administration of the serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist ondansetron induced a marked relief of itching. The effect was most pronounced in a patient with cholestasis-associated pruritus. It is suggested that serotonin, acting via 5-HT3 receptors, is involved in the generation and/or sensation of pruritus. Furthermore, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists may be a novel therapeutic principle for the treatment of pruritus.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum Innere Medizin, Abteilung Gastroenterologie und Endokrinologie, Medizinische Universitätsklinik, Göttingen.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwörer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ramadori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017294:Ondansetron / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D017294:Ondansetron