title: [Pruritus in the elderly: an epidemic-clinical study (about 208 cases)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pruritus is an unpleasant cutaneous feeling causing the desire to scratch. Few epidemiologic studies were interested in this symptom which relates to the old subject particularly.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the epidemiological and clinical features as well as the treatment of pruritus in this age bracket.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study over 10 years and 5 months at the dermatology department of Habib Thameur hospital concerned 208 patients, 65 years old and more presenting a pruritus without specific dermatological lesion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of pruritus in the old subject was 5.14 per 1000 new consultants. Pruritus had revealed an ignored affection in 36.36% of the cases: an iron deficiency in 10 cases, a type 2 diabetes in 6 cases, a hypereosinophilia over 1000 elements/mm3 in 4 cases, a chronic renal failure in 2 cases, a hepatic cytolysis in 2 cases, a cholestasis in one case, a polycythemia vera in one case and hepatitis B one a case. Skin lubricants and antihistamines associated to topical corticosteroids in 25 cases and UVB therapy in a case were prescribed. These treatments brought an attenuation of pruritus in 62% of the cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Iron deficiency anemia was the principal cause of pruritus in our series, followed by the type 2 diabetes. Our results contrast with the data of the literature considering that the traditional prevalence of the hepatic cholestasis was not noted and that diabetes is not regarded as inductive factor of pruritus.
authors.affiliation: Service de Dermatologie.
authors.forename: Nedra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sliti
authors.forename: Rim
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benmously
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fenniche
authors.forename: Hayet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marrak
authors.forename: Selima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben Jannet
authors.forename: Inçaf
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mokhtar
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006633:Histamine Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D006633:Histamine Antagonists