Itch in the community: associations with psychosocial factors among adults.
BACKGROUND
Itch is a major symptom in dermatology but is little explored epidemiologically. Objective To describe the prevalence and the severity of itch, and to explore its relation to psychosocial factors.


METHODS
The design was cross-sectional and population-based. A total of 40 880 adults in Oslo were invited to answer a questionnaire.


RESULTS
Twenty-seven per cent report itch. Individuals reporting itch were younger, the majority were female, were non-Norwegian, had lower income, were more distressed, had experienced more negative life events and had poorer social support. Individuals with poor support who had experienced more negative life events reported more itch than individuals with good support (15. 6% compared to 10. 9%). The strong association with psychosocial factors was confirmed in a logistic regression.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a strong association between itch and psychosocial factors in the general population.
Dalgard
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Department of Dermatology, Ullevål University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo, Norway. florence.dalgard@medisin.uio.no
Lien
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Dalen
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D011537:Pruritus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires