title: Low-dose naltrexone for pruritus in systemic sclerosis.
abstract: Pruritus is a common symptom in systemic sclerosis (SSc), an autoimmune disease which causes fibrosis and vasculopathy in skin, lung, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Unfortunately, pruritus has limited treatment options in this disease. Pilot trials of low-dose naltrexone hydrochloride (LDN) for pruritus, pain, and quality of life (QOL) in other GIT diseases have been successful. In this case series we report three patients that had significant improvement in pruritus and total GIT symptoms as measured by the 10-point faces scale and the University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 (UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0) questionnaire. This small case series suggests LDN may be an effective, highly tolerable, and inexpensive treatment for pruritus and GIT symptoms in SSc.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Frech
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: Monica P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Revelo
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murtaugh
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Markewitz
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hatton
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Scholand
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frech
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Markewitz
authors.forename: Allen D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sawitzke