Living With Itch ─ A Patient's Guide

We have all experienced itch, whether from insect bites or dry skin, but millions of people worldwide have chronic or even intractable itch. Just like chronic pain, chronic itch interferes with function—even with quality of life. Living with Itch offers relief, drawing on the authors’ vast knowledge of itch, the suffering it causes, and available treatments.

Itch researchers and clinicians Drs. Gil Yosipovitch and Shawn G. Kwatra explain what itch is and the cascade of physiological events that cause us to experience it. They describe the many skin diseases, from atopic dermatitis (also known as eczema) to psoriasis, and conditions like chronic kidney disease, lymphoma, HIV, and neuropathies that cause itch. Living with Itch provides information on preventing itch as well as topical and systemic therapies, regardless of what’s causing the itch. Patient and parent narratives explain how itch affects their lives and how they cope with a symptom that can, with medical and social support, be managed.

Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., is a professor of dermatology, neurobiology, and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He is known as the "Godfather of Itch" and is the founder of the International Forum for the Study of Itch. Shawn G. Kwatra, M.D., is a resident in the department of dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.