Effects of Itching on Daily Life and Medical Consultation
-Results of Internet Questionnaire-

Abstract

We examined the effects of cutaneous itching on daily life through an Internet questionnaire. Overall, 29,497 adults and 9,423 guardians of children participated in the study ; 5,322 adults (21.4%) and 1,618 children (17.2%) had itching with skin eruptions. Adults (42.1%) and children (59.9%) had visited medical doctors, including dermatologists, respectively. On the other hand, adults (3.4%) and children (2.2%) had complained of itching without skin lesions. In their daily life, adults with itching confessed to being “irritated/impatient”(27%) and having “inefficient work or study”(18%). Children with itching had sleep disruption (27%). Dermatologists should realize that itching disturbs patients’ concentration.