Gil Yosipovitch

Lars Arendt-Nielsen

Hjalte Andersen

Providing for the first time a comprehensive overview of the common and different pathways and mechanisms of itch and pain, this unique title explores these two distinct and still somehow similar sensory experiences and utilize the cross-fertilization between the two fields to develop better treatments for patients. Itch and Pain: Similarities, Interactions and Differences is the only available, up-to-date guide to current information in this important area, ideal for basic scientists as well as clinicians in dermatology, pain, neurology, medicine, psychology, or other specialties.

Similarities, Interactions, and Differences

Itch and Pain

Hjalte Holm Andersen

"The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and the International Forum for the Study of Itch (IFSI) share a common mission of bringing clinicians and researchers to think and work together to understand pain and itch, respectively and help find better treatments for patients in both diseases. IASP has established a dedicated Special Interest Group (SIG) focusing specifically on the differences and commonalities between pain and itch pathways and mechanisms. Translating fundamental knowledge from pain to itch and vice versa can help targeting the development of new and better treatments. The purpose of this book entitled" Itch and Pain: Similarities, Interactions and Differences" follows these 2 societies' mission. It is edited by the past president and founder of IFSI (Gil Yosipovitch) and the present president of IASP (Lars Arendt-Nielsen) as well as by a researcher who trained in both itch and pain psychophysics (Hjalte Holm Andersen). For the first time the book provides a comprehensive overview of how these important sensations share common and different pathways/mechanisms and their interactions"--

Alan Cowan

Basic research on the pharmacology of itch has exploded in the wake of two very influential papers that were published in Nature (2007) and Science (2009). Long overlooked as a milder form of pain, itching has rapidly gained a new appreciation in both research and clinical communities because of its complexity and its negative effects on the quality of life of the distressed patients. Like pain, not all itches are the same. Unlike pain, there are no standard drugs equivalent to aspirin and morphine. Epidemiological studies emphasize the high incidence and economic costs of itch (pruritus). It is the most prevalent symptom of a wide variety of allergic and inflammatory skin conditions (e.g., psoriasis, atopic dermatitis), is associated with several systemic diseases (e.g., chronic kidney and liver disease), and occurs in patients undergoing hemodialysis, spinal administration of opioids, and in those suffering from AIDS. The reader will learn about the multiple pathways for itch and their interactions with pain. The relationship between these closely related, yet distinct sensory phenomena, will be emphasized. Both itch and pain use several common molecules to send signals to the brain. Thus, drugs that have been, and are being, developed as analgesics may also attenuate intractable itch. This has been an exciting and very necessary turn of events since traditional H-1 receptor antagonists are ineffective in blocking the pruritus associated with kidney failure and cholestasis. The clinical chapters will provide insights into contemporary treatment regimens for pruritus in different human scenarios.

Pharmacology of Itch

Alan B. Fleischer, Jr.

Francis McGlone

Malcolm W. Greaves

Offering details on the pharmacology of itch, techniques of itch evaluation, and neurogenic itch, this reference presents new concepts in the neurophysiology and central mechanisms of itch, animal models of itch, and processing of histamine itch in the human cerebral cortex. The text clarifies itch in systemic and skin disease, exploring renal itch, uremic pruritus, lichen amyloidosis and more.

Basic Mechanisms and Therapy

Itch

Shawn G. Kwatra

Patient and parent narratives illustrate how people cope with itch and how, with medical and social support, itch can be managed.

A Patient's Guide

Living with Itch

Chronic itch can interfere with a person's ability to function, and can even affect quality of life. The authors explain the cascade of physiological events that causes us to experience itch. They describe the many skin diseases and conditions that cause itch, and provide information on preventing, treating, and coping with your condition.

Gil Yosipovitch

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