瘙痒（瘙痒或瘙痒）

• The medical term for itching ispruritus。
• Bacterialand真菌感染，，，，bites and stings, infestations,chronicdiseases,atopic dermatitis，，，，银屑病，，，，allergic反应，阳光暴露，以及皮肤干燥， 和别的皮肤disorders andhealthconditions all may be causes of瘙痒。
• Anti-itch creams and lotions containingcamphor，，，，menthol,苯酚，pramoxine（caladryl，tronolane），diphenhydramine（（Benadryl), or benzocaine can bring relief.
• Some cases of itching will respond to皮质类固醇medications.
• It is important to avoid scratching when possible to prevent worsening of theconditionand disruption of the skin that could lead to bacterial在fection。
• If itching persists, worsens, or is associated with skin lesions, go see a health care professional.

Itch is an irritation in the skin that elicits an urge to scratch. Itchiness is a problem that everyone experiences, and the symptom can be localized (limited to one area of the body) or generalized (occurring all over the body or in several different areas). Sometimes, depending upon the underlying cause, itching may be worse at night. In medical terminology, itching is known aspruritus。

Generalized itch that occurs all over the body is often more difficult to treat than localized itch. Itches can also occur with or without skin lesions (颠簸，，，，blisters,皮疹，，，，redness, or abnormalities that can be seen on the skin). An itch that is accompanied by a visible skin abnormality should be evaluated by aphysician和，在some cases, by adermatologistsince the problem is likely to be a condition that requires specialized medical treatment (for example,eczema，，，，scabies， ETC。）。

Depending upon the underlying cause, itchiness may be associated with other symptoms and signs. Most commonly, these associated findings include skin lesions such as rash, blisters, bumps, or redness of the affected area. Dryness of the skin is a common cause of itch. Itching of skin can lead to tears in the skin (excoriations) from scratching. Less commonly, generalized itching all over the body can be a sign of chronic medical conditions such asliver disease。In these situations, there may be no changes to the appearance of the skin.

Pruritus can be caused by many conditions.Stress，，，，焦虑，，，，or other emotional problems can cause itching. Stress also can aggravate itch from other causes.皮肤干燥（（疾病) is perhaps the most frequent cause of itch without a rash. Many people also reportsunburn长时间暴露于紫外线之后发痒radiationfrom the sun along with thepainof sunburn. Other causes of generalized itching that may not produce a rash or specific skin changes include metabolic and hormone disorders (for examples,kidney disease，，，，hyperthyroidism），癌症（例如，淋巴瘤），reactions to drugs, interruptions in bile flow (cholestasis) from liver disease, and diseases of the blood (for example,polycythemiarubra vera). Itching is common with allergic reactions, such as食物过敏或其他类型的allergy。Itching can also result from昆虫的刺痛和蚊子等叮咬flea bites。

Psoriasisis a chronic cause of皮肤在flammation这也可能与瘙痒有关。患者银屑病typically develop red, elevated, scaling plaques of dry, itchy skin.Atopic dermatitisis a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that usually starts in childhood. Itching, rash, and thickening of the skin over time are characteristic symptoms ofatopic dermatitis。This is considered to be a type ofallergy（（an immune system reaction against a foreign substance) that is associated with inhaled过敏（（花粉过敏）并且是慢性的。

Infections and infestations of the skin are another cause of itch. Genital itching oranal itching，，，，which may accompany burning andpain，，，，在men and women can occur as a result of genital infections such as性传播疾病（（STDs）。阴道瘙痒有时被称为女性瘙痒，性传播疾病也会引起肛门瘙痒和疼痛。阴道酵母菌感染是阴道瘙痒的另一个原因。瘙痒的其他常见传染性原因包括cort的酵母（真菌）感染（真菌）Tinea Cruris) commonly known asjock itch，，，，银屑病，，，，andringwormof the body (Tinea Corporis）。引起痒感的另一种寄生虫感染是所谓的游泳者的瘙痒。游泳者的痒，也叫cercarial dermatitis，是由过敏反应感染某些鸟类和哺乳动物的寄生虫，这些寄生虫是在新鲜和盐水中被感染的蜗牛释放的。瘙痒也可能是由于皮肤侵扰而引起的body lice，，，，在cludinghead liceand耻骨虱子。Scabiesis a highlycontagious皮肤状况由瘙痒侵染螨虫Sarcoptes scabiei众所周知，这会引起夜间特别严重的强烈瘙痒。

Brachioradialpruritusis a neurologic condition that results in intense itching of thearms。它通常在forearmover the head of the brachioradialismuscle，，，，but it can occur anywhere on the upper extremities. This is often caused by apinched nerve在the脖子。

瘙痒也可能是由其他条件引起的影响the nerves or nervous system, such asdiabetes，，，，带状疱疹（（带状疱疹）， 或者multiple sclerosis。

与织物接触而刺激皮肤，cosmetics，，，，or other substances can lead to itching that may be accompanied by rash, known ascontact dermatitis。有毒常春藤是接触的另一个例子dermatitis。对药物或药物的反应也可能导致广泛的瘙痒，可能伴有皮疹或hives。Sometimes women report that they experience generalized itching duringpregnancy或通常会引起瘙痒的状况恶化。接触dermatitisfrompoison常春藤，poison oak，，，，or毒药（由于与油性汁液的接触）或allergytonickel也是局部瘙痒的常见原因。

Itching of thescalpcan be caused by a number of conditions, includingdandruff，，，，银屑病，，，，orseborrheic dermatitis。

大多数瘙痒的人没有严重的潜在状况。

As with any condition, a careful病史and physical examination will suggest to your health care provider the particular diagnostic tests that may be needed to learn the cause of itching. Some common causes like dry skin or sunburn may be obvious, while causes such as chronicsystemicdiseases or conditions may require血or imaging tests to identify. If a skin condition is responsible for the itch, sometimes a scraping orbiopsymay be performed to identify the condition. Nevertheless, many common皮疹and skin ailments have a characteristicsymptomor appearance that may suggest the correct diagnosis.

Because the causes ofpruritic皮肤are so varied, many different medical practitioners can be involved in treating itching. Itching is commonly treated by specialists in家庭医学，，，，在ternal medicine，，，，儿科，，，，ordermatology。Itching related to allergy may be treated by an allergist orimmunologist。Itching related toSTDsmay be managed by agynecologistor泌尿科医生。An产科医生- 妇科医生可能会治疗怀孕期间瘙痒或vaginitis。People with itching due to chronic diseases may be treated by the specialists who manage these conditions, such as endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, nephrologists, oncologists, hematologists, neurologists, and infectious-disease专家。瘙痒的某些原因由紧急医学专家治疗。

Itching usually prompts scratching, which can sometimes lead to a vicious itch-scratch cycle. Scratching can initially feel satisfying, but prolonged scratching just leaves you with irritated skin that can still itch and often worsens the itching itself. Since scratching provides only temporary relief and doesn't promote healing of the underlying problem, it is best to avoid scratching if at all possible. If scratching breaks open the skin, bacterial infection can set in. This is known as secondary infection. And if scratching continues for many months or years, the area that is scratched may develop thickened skin (地衣化） 或者pigmentationthat darkens the area.

The best way to allow irritated skin to heal is to stop scratching it. However, willpower often is not enough since the urge to scratch can be compelling. The following sections discuss some general measures and home remedies to help to stop scratching andcontrol痒，无论原因如何。

Topical itch treatments, those used on the skin, includecoldapplications, creams, and lotions.

Cold applications: Because cold and itch travel along the samenervefibers, the use of cold can "jam the circuits" and deaden itch. Methods of applying cold include the following:

• Coolwater， 或者通过runningtap water over the affected area or placing a cold clean washcloth on the skin
• 很酷的淋浴
• A cool bath; products that contain colloidal oatmeal are available over the counter as an itch relief bath
• Ice packs, either the commercially available type or ice cubes in a塑料包

热水（（在the shower, for instance) feels good temporarily, but it can leave you feeling even itchier later. Therefore, the use of hot water is not recommended.

• Camphor
• Menthol
• 苯酚
• Pramoxine
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• 苯佐卡因（或另一个“ Caine”麻醉药）

You can apply these products over and over, every few minutes if needed. These preparations helpnumbthe nerve endings and stop you from a frenzy of scratching, which leaves the skin raw,sore，，，，and even itchier.

尽管含氢化可的松的乳霜和乳液通常会作为瘙痒减少剂促进cortisone，，，，such as the skin diseaseseczemaand脂。自从OTC含氢化可的松的面霜和乳液很弱（即使所谓的“最大强度”产品仅包含1％），即使在响应良好的条件下，它们也对瘙痒也不有用。当瘙痒是由其他种类刺激引起的时（在sect bites，例如），氢化可的松根本无济于事。如果您使用氢化可的松10天而没有任何改进，则应该去看医生，以帮助确定瘙痒的原因。

传统上，antihistamines用于治疗瘙痒。例子包括苯羟胺（Benadryl），hydroxyzine（（Atarax), andchlorpheniramine（（氯trimetonand others). These medicines can induce drowsiness in many people and must be used with care before driving a car or operating heavy machinery. Although antihistamines may help relieve itchy skin, they seem to do so mainly by helping people fall asleep and avoid scratching at night. If falling or staying asleep is not your main problem, you may want to try one of the nonsedating antihistamines. Loratadine (克拉林蛋白) andfexofenadine（（Allegraand others) are examples of newer second-generation antihistamines that are available without aprescription。第二代抗组胺药没有较旧的第一代抗组胺药的镇静作用，但它们在抑制瘙痒方面并不是很有效。

Itching can be prevented only to the extent that the underlying cause(s) of the itchingsensation可以防止。例如，仔细使用防晒霜products can prevent the itching associated with sunburn. Keeping well hydrated and using moisturizers can prevent the itch associated with dry skin. It is also possible to take preventive measures to avoid contagious conditions that may be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact like sexually transmitted diseases, ortickor虫咬，，，，orlice在festations that may be the sources of itching. Chronic itch associated with serious conditions like皮肤癌症andliverorkidneydisease cannot typically be prevented.

If home treatment isn't helping, scratching is affecting the skin being scratched (infection, lichenification [thickening and scarring], or pigmentation), or the itch is disturbing one's睡觉，请咨询doctorto ascertain what's causing the itching. A doctor can also prescribe stronger cortisone-based creams (for eczemas and过敏) and prescription-grade antihistamines, if necessary, or treat the underlying condition that is causing the itch.

As mentioned previously, a secondary bacterial infection of the skin is perhaps the most commoncomplicationof itching. This occurs not as a result of the itch but as a result of the scratching and associated skin damage. Antibiotics may be required to treat a bacterial infection of the skin. Itching itself is unlikely to lead to other complications, although some of the underlying diseases that cause itching (see above) are associated with complications specific to the disease itself.

Itching itself is not associated with long-term skin problems or harm, and most cases of itch are temporary and resolve on their own or with topical or oral treatments. Itching that is associated with a serious condition may persist if the condition worsens or it may be managed with medications.