Itching : Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment

• General Characteristics
• Causes Of Itching
• Causes Of Itching In The Eyes
• Causes Of Itching In The Intimate Area
• Causes Of Anal Itching

Itching is an obsessive sensation of tickling, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, accompanied by an irresistible desire and need to scratch (rub, stroke) the itchy area. Itching can occur anywhere on the body under the influence of mechanical, chemical, thermal factors, infectious inflammation, allergies, parasitic invasion and other causes. There are itching of the scalp, skin, intimate area, anal itching. Finding out the causes of itching and its treatment requires the participation of a dermatologist, allergist, obstetrician-gynecologist, urologist, proctologist.

general characteristics

Itching is a characteristic symptom of most skin, allergic, infectious diseases. Itching can be acute or chronic. The first is characterized by greater intensity, the second - by a debilitating long course. Itching can be so unbearable that it causes sleep disturbances, emotional instability, and decreased performance. Combing itchy areas increases the risk of secondary infection of the skin and the development of purulent complications. According to their origin, the following types of itching are distinguished:

• dermatological - associated with a primary skin lesion (with allergies, parasitosis, insect bites);
• neurogenic - caused by damage to nerve fibers and ganglia (with herpes zoster);
• psychogenic - due to disorders of the mental sphere (with neuroses);
• systemic - provoked by endogenous causes (with hormonal, metabolic diseases).

Causes of itching

Itching of the skin can be local (on a certain area of ​​the skin) and generalized (of the entire skin). Localized itching indicates local irritation of the skin by some factors. Generalized itching can signal disorders in the immune, endocrine, digestive, and nervous systems. The causes of itching of the skin are:

• Diseases of the scalp: dandruff, seborrhea, pediculosis.
• Dermatoses: eczema, allergic dermatoses, urticaria, ringworm, psoriasis.
• Parasitoses: acariasis (demodecosis, scabies), helminthic invasions, insect bites.
• Skin microtraumas: splinters, abrasions, irritation after shaving.
• Superficial burns: chemical, thermal.
• Common diseases: diabetes mellitus, biliary cirrhosis, polycythemia vera, CRF and many others. others

Causes of itching in the eyes

Often itching in the eyes is associated with behavioral factors: the use of low-quality cosmetics, strong eye strain, wearing contact lenses for too long. Other possible reasons:

• blepharitis;
• conjunctivitis;
• meibomite;
• demodicosis of the eyelids;
• barley;
• chalazion;
• dry eye syndrome;
• foreign bodies of the eye;
• trichiasis.

Causes of itching in the intimate area

Itching in the genital area worries both men and women with STDs, inflammatory pathologies of the genitourinary organs. In women, itchy sensations are localized in the area of ​​the vulva and vagina, in men - in the area of ​​the penis or scrotum.

Causes of intimate itching in women:

• vulvovaginitis of various etiologies: candidiasis, ureaplasmosis, mycoplasmosis, trichomoniasis, atrophic colpitis;
• bacterial vaginosis;
• background and precancerous processes: leukoplakia, erythroplakia, kraurosis, dysplasia;
• vulvar cancer.

Causes of intimate itching in men:

• balanoposthitis;
• urethritis;
• STD;
• lichen sclerosus;
• Fordyce angiokeratoma;
• penile cancer.

Causes of anal itching

Itching in the anus can be caused by poor hygiene, wearing tight underwear made of synthetic fabrics, diaper rash. Also, the perianal area is affected in dermatological, allergic processes, STDs, hormonal disorders. Specific local causes of anal itching are:

• fecal incontinence;
• diarrhea;
• diseases of the rectum: hemorrhoids, fissures, cryptitis, papillitis;
• condylomas of the anogenital region;
• anal polyps;
• enterobiasis.