An intense itch all over the
body often occurs in people with late stage kidney
disease or who suffer from chronic renal failure. In fact, one study showed
that 42 percent of dialysis patients suffered from moderate to extreme renal
itch. “Some people describe it as a nuisance,” says Anthony M. Rossi, MD,
assistant attending at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and New York
Presbyterian Hospital. “[The itch] is so intense that people wake up in the
middle of the night scratching.” Science has yet to uncover why kidney disease
causes itchiness, but doctors suspect it has to do with the build up of toxins
in your body when your kidneys are unable to remove the waste from your
bloodstream. Aside from treating the disease, a doctor may prescribe medications
like gabapentin, an anti-seizure medicine that’s been FDA-approved for
off-label use to quell renal itch.
LIVER
DISEASE
Itching all over could also be a
silent sign of liver disease. Where incessant itchiness shows up late-stage in
kidney disease, it can be an early symptom of liver disease. “If your liver is
not functioning properly to detoxify the body, byproducts like bile acids back
up,” says Dr. Kathleen Cook Suozzi, MD, assistant professor in the Department
of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. “The primary goal is to treat the
underlying liver disease and prescribe medications that can eliminate the bile
acids.” Doctors will typically prescribe medications that can inhibit your
body’s uptake of bile acids or help reduce the amount of bile acid returning to
the liver.
SPINAL
DISEASE
A chronically itchy upper middle of
the back (without a rash) can be a hallmark of neuropathic itch, a symptom of
nerve malfunction. Before providing treatment, doctors will first rule out
spinal cord disease as a cause. Research has shown that spinal disease, whether
due to age or injury, can apply pressure on the nerve and pinch it, which
results in an itchy sensation on the skin. Neuropathic itches can occur on one
side of the body or both, but it’s a big red flag if scratching brings no
relief. “People with eczema get a good sensation from scratching,” says Dr.
Rossi. “But [nerve itch] doesn’t improve with scratching. The itch intensifies
most of the time.” Some people say it feels like insects are crawling on them.
Once spinal cord disease or other health conditions have been ruled out,
neuropathic itches can be treated with capsaicin cream, which is derived from
hot peppers, to burn out the nerves that are firing irregularly on the skin.
CELIAC
DISEASE
Extremely itchy bumps or blisters
on knees, elbows, buttocks, and/or hairline are signs of dermatitis
herpetiformis (DH), a skin manifestation of celiac disease. “When a person with
celiac disease consumes gluten, the mucosal immune system in the intestine
responds by producing a type of antibody called immunoglobulin A (IgA),” John
Zone, MD, Celiac Disease Foundation medical advisory board member told celiac.
org. These IgA antibodies travel to and bind with the skin cells to trigger an
itchy response. The prescription Dapsone can provide short-term itch relief for
the skin, but the intestinal damage is serious and patients have to adopt a
strict gluten-free diet for life. If they continue to eat gluten, celiac
patients can develop malnutrition, anemia, bone loss, ulcerative colitis, and
even cancer.
LYMPHOMA
“The other thing that you want to
rule out are blood disorders,” says Dr. Suozzi. “Anywhere from five to 30
percent of lymphomas such as Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s can present with
itch.” Itchiness with or without a rash can be the first symptom of Hodgkin’s
disease— likely caused by cytokines, cell signal molecules that trigger
inflammation in response to infection. If your doctor suspects lymphoma, she
may order a chest X-ray to eliminate the possibility. If you’re diagnosed with
the disease, the itching will cease soon after starting chemotherapy or
radiation therapy.
ALLERGIES
Allergies are one of the most
common chronic health conditions in the world. In fact, many skin allergies are
classified under the umbrella term contact dermatitis, the itchy rash on your
skin that you get when you come into contact with an allergen. Poison ivy,
nickel, or compounds found in personal care items like baby wipes and makeup
are just a few of the allergens that can cause contact dermatitis. Your
dermatologist may stick patches on your skin with different compounds that are
correlated to the most common allergens to pinpoint the root cause of your
allergies. “It’s like a treasure hunt when we’re trying to look into all the
products that people use,” says Dr. Suozzi. A strong topical steroid is
prescribed for relief.
MENOPAUSE
In the case of women, If you’ve
finally hit menopause, you may have noticed a sudden change in your
appearance—including dry skin. The loss of estrogen, an essential building
block for collagen production, leads to thinner, itchier skin due to a
diminished supply of natural oils that keep your skin’s moisture intact.
Maintain your fountain of youth with Aloe Vera gel or calamine lotion, which
help hold water in your skin’s outermost layer to alleviate drying and itching.
DERMATOGRAPHIA
If after lightly scratching your
skin, your fingernails leave thin, raised red welts on your skin that take 15
to 30 minutes to disappear, you may suspect dermatographia. Although the cause
of this condition is unclear, the Mayo Clinic says it could be triggered by
stress, infections, allergens, or medications like penicillin. “It’s an extreme
skin condition, where your skin is sensitive to touch and releases too much
histamine,” says Dr. Rokhsar. Areas of touch and clothing are the most
susceptible to dermatographic flare-ups. It’s easy to diagnose but often goes
undiagnosed because it’s not severe or bothersome enough for people to make an
appointment with their dermatologist. If the itch becomes severe, your doctor
can prescribe an antihistamine to relieve the inflammation. If this becomes a
regular occurrence, ask your doctor if you might have histamine intolerance or
even mast cell activation syndrome—both are conditions where the body fails to
process histamine properly.
THYROID
DISEASE
“Thyroid
disease, whether it’s overactive or underactive can cause weird sensations in
the skin,” says Cameron Rokhsar, MD, associate clinical professor of
dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital and dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at
New York Cosmetic, Skin & Laser Surgery Center. “No one knows the
association but it may be that the changes in the sweat glands can cause skin
dryness.” Itchy, dry skin is more common in people who have hypothyroid,
because skin tissue contains thyroid hormone receptors that are seeing
diminished cellular activity in the absence of thyroid hormone. – Agencies
