GENERALISED PRURITUS

dermatological causes:

infestations, eg. scabies, body lice

infections, eg. candidiasis, onchocerciasis

allergies, eg. to house dust mite, drugs

urticaria

ichthyosis

fibreglass exposure

non-dermatological causes:

drugs:

acute drug eruptions (any drug)

cocaine ('cocaine bug')

opiates

liver disease:

1� biliary cirrhosis

other causes of obstructive jaundice [itching is caused by bile salts]

haematological disease:

polycythaemia [especially following a hot bath]

iron-deficiency anaemia

Hodgkin's lymphoma

leukaemia

multiple myeloma

mycosis fungoides

mastocytosis

endocrine disease:

thyrotoxicosis

myxoedema

diabetes mellitus

hypercalcaemia

malignancies [partly due to secretion of PTH-like peptides]:

bronchial carcinoma

renal cell carcinoma

carcinoid

neurological disease:

tabes dorsalis

other:

pregnancy (last trimester)

psychiatric disease

renal failure (uraemia)

sarcoidosis

AIDS

neurosis

Sjogren's syndrome

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