People with psychiatric disorders more likely to suffer anogenital pruritus, Study finds

A new study published in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology shows a significantly higher link between anogenital pruritus (AP) and psychiatric disorders.

Recent researches demonstrated a correlation between chronic pruritus and reduced life quality, psychological stress, anxiety, and depression. Despite being widespread, anogenital pruritus is frequently an unreported symptom of a number of neurological, dermatological, and systemic diseases. Fewer studies have looked into AP, but several have assessed the impact of other types of localized or generalized pruritus on quality of life. In this study, Balfour and colleagues conducted a population-level retrospective case-control analysis in order to assess the relationship between AP and mental diseases.

This study utilized International Classification of Diseases, 10th version (ICD-10) codes L29.0 to L29.3 indexed during the previous 20 years using TriNetX. The participants with mental health conditions like response to extreme stress, adjustment disorders, persistent mood disorder, bipolar disorder, depressive episode, anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and nonspecific mood disorder (ICD-10, F30–F48) were included in the analysis. Major depressive illness (F33), depressive episode (F32), or other anxiety disorders (F41) were the most common diagnoses for the patients. The patients diagnosed with AP were excluded from the control cohorts, which were propensity matched 1:1 by sex, age, and race/ethnicity categories. The patients getting general checkups were chosen to reflect a broad range of patients with no current problems. While there is crossover amongst AP along with other dermatologic disorders, the study compared with a group of psoriasis patients since it has been linked to higher incidence of anxiety and depression.

The results of the study found that the Patients with AP were more likely to develop psychiatric illnesses than those with a general adult checkup or psoriasis. These data imply that AP is related with mental illnesses when compared to similar psoriasis cohorts, which have been independently linked to higher rates of sadness and anxiety.

The odds ratios for severe stress and adjustment disorders, persistent mood disorders and nonspecific mood disorders were the greatest in both control groups. Bipolar illness was the second most common diagnosis in general adult medical exams, whereas anxiety disorder was the most common among psoriasis cases. There was a substantial difference in the relationship between either gender with AP and the psychiatric disorders evaluated. Overall, these findings emphasize the significance of examining individuals with dermatologic diseases for AP and screening for mental health problems when needed.

Reference:

Balfour, A., & Kraus, C. (2024). Anogenital pruritus is associated with anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders. In International Journal of Women’s Dermatology (Vol. 10, Issue 3, p. e168). Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). https://doi.org/10.1097/jw9.0000000000000168