TY - JOUR
T1 - How best to fight that nasty itch - From new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus to novel therapeutic approaches
AU - Bíró, Tamás
AU - Ko, M. C.
AU - Bromm, Burkhart
AU - Wei, Edward T.
AU - Bigliardi, Paul
AU - Siebenhaar, Frank
AU - Hashizume, Hideo
AU - Misery, Laurent
AU - Bergasa, Nora V.
AU - Kamei, Chiaki
AU - Schouenborg, Jens
AU - Roostermann, Dirk
AU - Szabó, Tamás
AU - Maurer, Marcus
AU - Bigliardi-Qi, Mei
AU - Meingassner, Josef G.
AU - Hossen, Maria A.
AU - Schmelz, Martin
AU - Steinhoff, Martin
PY - 2005/3
Y1 - 2005/3
N2 - While the enormous clinical and psychosocial importance of pruritus in many areas of medicine and the detrimental effects of chronic 'itch' on the quality of life of an affected individual are widely appreciated, the complexity of this sensation is still often grossly underestimated. The current Controversies feature highlights this complexity by portraying pruritus as a truly interdisciplinary problem at the crossroads of neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, neuropharmacology, protease research, internal medicine, and dermatology, which is combated most successfully if one keeps the multilayered nature of 'itch' in mind and adopts a holistic treatment approach - beyond the customary, frequently frustrane monotherapy with histamine receptor antagonists. In view of the often unsatisfactory, unidimensional, and altogether rather crude standard instruments for pruritus management that we still tend to use in clinical practice today, an interdisciplinary team of pruritus experts here critically examines recent progress in pruritus research that future itch management must take into consideration. Focusing on new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus, and discussing available neuropharmacological tools, specific research avenues are highlighted, whose pursuit promises to lead to novel, and hopefully more effective, forms of pruritus management.
AB - While the enormous clinical and psychosocial importance of pruritus in many areas of medicine and the detrimental effects of chronic 'itch' on the quality of life of an affected individual are widely appreciated, the complexity of this sensation is still often grossly underestimated. The current Controversies feature highlights this complexity by portraying pruritus as a truly interdisciplinary problem at the crossroads of neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, neuropharmacology, protease research, internal medicine, and dermatology, which is combated most successfully if one keeps the multilayered nature of 'itch' in mind and adopts a holistic treatment approach - beyond the customary, frequently frustrane monotherapy with histamine receptor antagonists. In view of the often unsatisfactory, unidimensional, and altogether rather crude standard instruments for pruritus management that we still tend to use in clinical practice today, an interdisciplinary team of pruritus experts here critically examines recent progress in pruritus research that future itch management must take into consideration. Focusing on new insights into the neuroimmunological, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological bases of pruritus, and discussing available neuropharmacological tools, specific research avenues are highlighted, whose pursuit promises to lead to novel, and hopefully more effective, forms of pruritus management.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.0906-6705.2005.0321a.x
DO - 10.1111/j.0906-6705.2005.0321a.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 15740597
AN - SCOPUS:20144386128
SN - 0906-6705
VL - 14
SP - 225
JO - Experimental Dermatology
JF - Experimental Dermatology
IS - 3
ER -