Pruritus is a prevalent symptom in many skin conditions. However, much less is known about pruritus unassociated with primary skin disease. This latter problem is of major relevance to most medical specialties, notably palliative care, haematology, oncology, internal medicine, hepatology, nephrology, anaesthesiology, immunology and psychiatry. Specialists in these non-dermatological disciplines each see a few patients with severe pruritus and, therefore, have only limited possibility to learn from their personal experience. In response to the need for information on pruritus in non-dermatological disciplines, this book aims to build a bridge of relevant knowledge and evidence between the various non-dermatological specialties. Pruritus can cause considerable discomfort in patients with cancer, patients receiving treatment for cancer, and patients with non-malignant terminal illnesses. Some knowledge about the pathophysiology of certain types of pruritus exists in different clinical specialties. This book brings this information together in a readily accessible compendium of knowledge, which will be of value to physicians in all specialties. An international group of contributors cover the neurophysiology and clinical assessment of pruritus, the measurement of scratching activity as well as opioid-induced pruritus, pruritus in haematological disorders, neuropathic pruritus and psychogenic pruritus and the treatment of pruritus in these different clinical settings.
Review: I was delighted to see a whole book dedicated to pruritus in advanced disease ... I found this book well researched and presented ... This is an essential book for all health professionals who treat patients with this extremely debilitating problem. Palliative Medicine, 19 Severe pruritus... can be a most distressing complaint for the patient. This little book is full of information that will improve the way we think about this complex symptom, and will be a valuable resource when confronted by a patient with difficult pruritus. Robert Twycross laments that pruritus is likely to remain a Cinderella symptom, relatively neglected. Well, this book certainly puts the girl in the spotlight. IAHPC Website