Living with Itch: A Patient's Guide (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

We have all experienced itch, whether from insect bites or dry skin, but millions of people worldwide have chronic or even intractable itch. Just like chronic pain, chronic itch interferes with a person’s ability to function―and even affects quality of life. Living with Itch offers relief, drawing on the authors’ vast knowledge of itch, the suffering it causes, and available treatments.

Itch researchers and clinicians Drs. Gil Yosipovitch and Shawn G. Kwatra explain the cascade of physiological events that causes us to experience itch. They describe the many skin diseases, from atopic dermatitis (eczema) to psoriasis, and conditions like chronic kidney disease, lymphoma, HIV, and neuropathies that cause itch. Living with Itch provides information on preventing itch as well as topical and systemic ways to treat it. Patient and parent narratives illustrate how people cope with itch and how, with medical and social support, itch can be managed.