Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Research Unit , Skellefteå; Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Br J Dermatol. 2015 Jun;172(6):1541-1546. doi: 10.1111/bjd.13682. Epub 2015 May 12.
Pruritus (itching) can be a distressing symptom, and previous research suggests that it is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).
The primary aim was to examine the prevalence of itching in patients with CHF and to compare this first to that among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and second to that of a normal Swedish population. The study also explored characteristics and possible causes of pruritus in patients with CHF.
In this cross-sectional prevalence study, a questionnaire was sent to 130 patients with CHF and to 130 with CAD. A total of 85 patients with CHF (65·4%) and 82 with CAD (63·1%) participated. Data were also compared with those of a previous study examining symptoms in a normal Swedish population.
The prevalence of itching at some point during the last 3 months was 40·0% in patients with CHF and 23·2% in patients with CAD (P = 0·019). This difference was not significant after adjusting for sex, age and medication. Patients with CHF described their pruritus as more disturbing than patients with CAD. In addition, 13·6% of patients with CHF and 3·8% of persons in the normal population experienced itching every week without any rash (P = 0·001).
Pruritus is common and sometimes disturbing in patients with CHF and warrants clinical attention. Medication should be considered as a cause of itching and may explain differences in the prevalence between patients with CHF and those with CAD. However, other causes of itching in patients with CHF should be explored in prospective studies.
瘙痒（瘙痒）可能是一种令人痛苦的症状，先前的研究表明，它在慢性心力衰竭（CHF）患者中很常见。
主要目的是检查 CHF 患者瘙痒的患病率，并首先将其与冠心病（CAD）患者进行比较，其次与瑞典正常人群进行比较。该研究还探讨了 CHF 患者瘙痒的特征和可能原因。
在这项横断面患病率研究中，向 130 名 CHF 患者和 130 名 CAD 患者发送了问卷。共有 85 名 CHF 患者（65.4%）和 82 名 CAD 患者（63.1%）参加了该研究。还将数据与之前一项研究中检查瑞典正常人群症状的数据进行了比较。
在过去 3 个月的某个时间点，瘙痒的患病率在 CHF 患者中为 40.0%，在 CAD 患者中为 23.2%（P=0.019）。调整性别、年龄和药物后，这种差异无统计学意义。CHF 患者比 CAD 患者更能描述他们的瘙痒症状。此外，13.6%的 CHF 患者和 3.8%的正常人群每周都会出现无皮疹的瘙痒（P=0.001）。
瘙痒在 CHF 患者中很常见，有时会令人困扰，值得临床关注。应考虑将药物作为瘙痒的原因，这可能解释了 CHF 患者和 CAD 患者之间患病率的差异。然而，应在前瞻性研究中探讨 CHF 患者瘙痒的其他原因。
