Association between frequency of pruritic symptoms and perceived psychological stress: a Japanese population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between frequency of pruritic symptoms experienced over a 1-month period and psychological stress.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
Population-based study in Japan.


METHODS
A total of 2224 participants at least 18 years old and without psychiatric disorders participated in the Japan Health Diary Study (October 2003), a cohort study comprising a representative sample in Japan.


METHODS
Frequency of pruritic symptoms assessed by self-reported health diaries over the 1-month period and subsequent psychological stress measured using the Japanese version of the Perceived Stress Scale.


RESULTS
The 2224 participants had a mean age of 44.6 years, 1212 (54.5%) were women, and 70 (3.1%) presented with pruritic symptoms. Multivariable analysis showed that patients with pruritic symptoms had significantly higher psychological stress than those without pruritic symptoms (beta coefficient, 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-4.14; P = .01). Furthermore, a linear trend was observed between increased psychological stress and increased severity of pruritic symptoms, with beta coefficients for the first, second, and third tertiles for symptoms of 0.81 (95% CI, -1.97 to 3.59), 1.77 (95% CI, -0.82 to 4.37), and 4.86 (95% CI, 1.29 to 8.43), respectively (P value for trend, .004).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that frequency of pruritic symptoms is associated with psychological stress in the general population.
Yamamoto
Yosuke
Y
Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. yamamotoy2@gmail.com
Yamazaki
Shin
S
Hayashino
Yasuaki
Y
Takahashi
Osamu
O
Tokuda
Yasuharu
Y
Shimbo
Takuro
T
Fukui
Tsuguya
T
Hinohara
Shigeaki
S
Miyachi
Yoshiki
Y
Fukuhara
Shunichi
S
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011537:Pruritus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology