Itch as a patient-reported symptom in ambulatory care visits in the United States.

Abstract

European studies have shown that itch is a widespread symptom, yet little is known about its frequency in the United States. We sought to describe ambulatory care visits to clinicians in the United States for which itch was coded as a patient symptom. This study uses retrospective data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1999 through 2009. Itch was coded as a symptom for an average of 7 million visits per year or approximately 1% of all outpatient visits, which was nearly 40% of the number of visits for the symptom of low back pain. Patients seen in visits for itch were more likely to be black or Asian than other patients (20% vs 14%). They were also more likely than other patients to receive a new medication (68% vs 36%) and were over twice as likely to receive 2 or more new medications (31% vs 14%). Secondary data sets may not optimally capture patient reports and some of the procedures or medications may have been ordered for reasons other than itch. Visits to clinicians for itch represent a sizeable proportion of ambulatory care visits in the United States, and research on the epidemiology, treatments, and causes of itch should be a priority.