Q J Med 2003; 96: 315
© 2003 Association of Physicians
Correspondence |
Itching to be treated
Cambridge
Sir,
I was interested to read the article on itch in your January issue.1 Many year ago, I had in my care a little girl with Alargile's syndrome, whose itching, especially at night, had for more than a year made life intolerable for her and her family. I tried all the recommended remedies to no avail, until one day she appeared in out-patients and thanked me for giving them all much-welcomed relief.
Wondering how I had achieved this, I went through her notes, and found I had prescribed a H2 blocker in addition to the standard H1 blocker she was already on. It turned out that withholding either produced relapse, but the combination was effective. Not long after, a similar observation was reported in a US journal (sadly I cannot trace the reference), although the author added that a controlled trial in his jaundiced patients had failed to show a significant effect. Two swallows don't make a summer, but in a condition that causes so much discomfort, the combination is worth trying.
References
1. Twycross R, et al. Itch: scratching more than the surface. Q J Med 2003; 96:7–26.
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