Khanna Raveena, Boozalis Emily, Belzberg Micah, Zampella John G, Kwatra Shawn G
Department of Dermatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA.
Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE 68178, USA.
Medicines (Basel). 2019 Jul 6;6(3):73. doi: 10.3390/medicines6030073.
Chronic pruritus is a debilitating condition associated with a wide range of dermatologic, systemic and psychogenic etiologies. In patients with chronic pruritus that is refractory to conventional therapy, symptoms can significantly decrease quality of life by contributing to anxiety, sleep disturbances, and in many cases depression. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of mirtazapine in relieving chronic itch that is refractory to standard first-line therapies. We searched PubMed for English-language articles containing the words ("pruritus" or "itch") AND "antidepressant" and then conducted a systematic review of the current literature to summarize the efficacy of mirtazapine in treating chronic itch. All studies reported a reduction in itch intensity following the administration of mirtazapine. Collectively, these studies suggest the potential for mirtazapine to relieve chronic itch attributed to dermatological causes and malignancies. As, such mirtazapine may be an option for patients with chronic pruritus that is refractory to typical first-line treatments.
慢性瘙痒是一种使人衰弱的病症，与多种皮肤病学、全身性和精神性病因相关。在对传统治疗无效的慢性瘙痒患者中，症状可通过导致焦虑、睡眠障碍以及在许多情况下引发抑郁，显著降低生活质量。最近的研究表明，米氮平在缓解对标准一线治疗无效的慢性瘙痒方面具有有效性。我们在PubMed上搜索了包含（“瘙痒”或“痒”）以及“抗抑郁药”的英文文章，然后对当前文献进行了系统综述，以总结米氮平治疗慢性瘙痒的疗效。所有研究均报告米氮平给药后瘙痒强度降低。总体而言，这些研究表明米氮平有缓解由皮肤病学病因和恶性肿瘤引起的慢性瘙痒的潜力。因此，米氮平可能是对典型一线治疗无效的慢性瘙痒患者的一种选择。
