title: Enigmatic pruritus in a kidney transplant patient.
abstract: Pruritus is a common problem following a kidney transplant and is usually attributable to new medications related to transplantation. We present an unusual case of pruritus that began several months after kidney transplantation. After changing several immunosuppressive medications, numerous clinical visits and consideration by the patient of stopping immunosuppression, scabies was diagnosed as the cause. Treatment with oral ivermectin and topical permethrin resulted in complete resolution of symptoms within 1 week. Transplant physicians should consider common causes of pruritus unrelated to transplantation; diagnostic skin lesions of scabies may be absent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, NC , USA.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Yates
authors.affiliation: Section on Nephrology , Department of Internal Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, NC , USA.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bleyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, NC , USA.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yosipovitch
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, NC , USA.
authors.forename: Omar P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Sangueza
authors.affiliation: Section on Nephrology , Department of Internal Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, NC , USA.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murea
keywords: pruritus; renal transplant; scabies