It will be important to have a prospective study in which the same investigators examine the itchiness question in parallel sets of patients, he says.
“Personally, I think that the average patient with eczema suffers from more intense itch than the average patient with psoriasis,” Dr. Lerner says. “But what is average?”
However, he notes, the intensity of itch for a psoriasis patient also might depend on which areas of the body are affected. “I … think that if we ask the itch question of psoriasis patients who have scalp or genital involvement, we will find that their itch is as intense and bothersome as the itch of someone with atopic dermatitis.”
Dr. Kimball and Dr. Shahwan report current or past fellowship funding from Janssen. Dr. Kimball also reported that she has been a consultant and investigator for Janssen and several other pharmaceutical companies.
Reference
- Shahwan KT, Kimball AB. Itch intensity in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis versus atopic dermatitis: A meta-analysis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jun;76(6):1198–1200.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.02.002.