to“Pruritus nodularis, also known as chronic itch, is a relatively rare but very painful disease,” explains Professor Laurent Messerye, Head of the Department of Dermatology at Brest University Hospital and President of the French Association for the Study of Pruritus in Dermatology (AFTEP). ). “It is characterized by severe itching and the presence of nodules on the surface of the skin, resulting from this itching. This disease can occur at any age, but it generally begins after the age of fifty. » In total, more than 680,000 people live with this disease worldwide1. For Professor Messeri, the diagnostic wandering associated with itch is a real problem. “We see diagnostic errors very regularly, because the disease is often confused with other skin conditions.”
“Symptoms of prurigo nodularis can appear in two main ways,” says Professor Jean-David Bouaziz, head of the department of dermatology at Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris. “Either the patient initially experiences small skin lesions that gradually develop into larger nodules through scratching. Either the nodules appear immediately. Severe itching mainly affects the upper and lower extremities as well as the trunk, but rarely affects the face or scalp.”
Quality of life at half mast
“It's a crazy disease,” says Thibault, who suffers from prurigo nodularis. “Just thinking about it, I still itch.” Although this disease does not constitute a life-threatening emergency, “the severe itching it causes has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life,” Professor Bouaziz points out. “They report to us in particular serious sleep problems, as well as deterioration in their social and professional lives. We also see symptoms of anxiety and depression.” In fact, more than half of patients say that the disease negatively affects their daily lives.
