What is aquagenic pruritus?
Aquagenic pruritus is a skin condition that causes your skin to itch when water touches it. It does not cause visible symptoms such as hives or rashes. People with this condition experience symptoms within minutes of exposure to water. The itching and burning sensations can last for an hour or longer.
Any temperature or type of water can cause this condition. People usually experience symptoms when bathing or showering. The psychological effect can cause them to stop bathing.
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How does aquagenic pruritus occur?
Healthcare providers are not sure how this condition develops. It seems that it may be linked to abnormal cellular processes in the skin, nervous system or immune system.
Sometimes, more than one person in a family has this condition. But researchers haven’t identified a specific gene linked to the condition that can be passed from parents to their children.
Where does aquagenic pruritus occur?
It can occur almost anywhere on your body. The most common location is your legs, followed by your arms, chest and back.
It usually doesn’t affect the palms of your hands, soles of your feet or mucus membranes like the insides of your mouth, nose and ears. This means people can drink water without symptoms.
How common is aquagenic pruritus?
There are no accurate estimates of how often it occurs.
FAQs
Aquagenic pruritus is intense skin itching that occurs when water touches your skin. It can occur on its own, as a side effect of medications or as a symptom of other conditions. Providers use a variety of treatments to relieve symptoms, but not all of them work for everyone.
Does pruritus ever go away? ›
The length of time you'll have pruritus depends on the cause of your itchy skin. Some diagnoses are long term and you'll experience symptoms that come and go throughout your life. For others, your condition could be a temporary irritant that could go away within a couple of days.
Can stress cause aquagenic pruritus? ›
In the majority of cases, the cause of pruritus is unknown. It is then considered an idiopathic or isolated aquagenic pruritus. Internal and external factors can influence the condition such as skin dryness or stress.
What is the best treatment for aquagenic urticaria? ›
Topical medications are effective in many cases. Creams can help form a barrier between the skin and water. Patients are advised to apply a petroleum-based cream or an oil-in-water emulsion prior to water exposure. If oral antihistamines and topical treatments are not effective, there are other options.
Is pruritus an autoimmune disease? ›
Pruritus is a common symptom of autoimmune conditions affecting the skin. However, it is often overlooked in clinical routine and by the scientific community.
Why do I get pruritus after shower? ›
Feeling itchy after a shower is usually due to dry skin. The soap and hot water of the shower wash away the natural oils that protect, moisturize, and soften your skin. As a result, your skin is left feeling itchy and tight, especially during the winter when humidity is low.
What deficiency causes pruritus? ›
Iron deficiency can both cause and increase the prevalence of chronic generalized pruritus, according to published research. A statistically significant relationship was found between S. ferritin and the severity of pruritus.
How do you calm down pruritus? ›
How to relieve itchy skin
- Apply a cold, wet cloth or ice pack to the skin that itches. Do this for about five to 10 minutes or until the itch subsides.
- Take an oatmeal bath. ...
- Moisturize your skin. ...
- Apply topical anesthetics that contain pramoxine.
- Apply cooling agents, such as menthol or calamine.
Irritation and allergic reactions.
Wool, chemicals, soaps and other things can irritate the skin and cause rashes and itching. Sometimes a substance, such as poison ivy or cosmetics, causes an allergic reaction. Also, reactions to certain medicines, such as narcotics to treat pain (opioids) can cause itchy skin.
Can anxiety cause pruritus? ›
The release of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, triggers a series of physiological responses that can affect various systems in the body, including the skin. Research has shown that stress hormones can directly interact with nerve cells in the skin, activating them and causing an itch sensation.
Chlorine, a chemical commonly found in city water – and therefore your shower water, can trigger allergic reactions for certain people. Exposure to high levels of chlorine has been linked to many serious conditions, but for some the allergies themselves are serious enough.
What blood disease causes itching? ›
As well as leukaemia, two other blood cancers are distinctly notorious for causing itchy skin: lymphoma and polycythaemia vera (PV). Generally speaking, itching in lymphoma is caused by a specific type called Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), with 1 in 3 HL patients experiencing it as a symptom before their diagnosis.
How do you get rid of aquagenic pruritus? ›
Treatment options include:
- Non-sedating antihistamines.
- Addition of sodium bicarbonate to the bathwater.
- Phototherapy for pruritus eg, UVB or PUVA.
- Oral naltrexone.
- Topical capsaicin.
- Beta-alanine.
- Ruxolitinib (in polycythemia-associated pruritus)
- Atenolol, propranolol.
Aquagenic pruritus is a condition in which the patient will develop pruritus without any skin lesions after exposure to water. Unlike AU, aquagenic pruritus is associated with polycythemia vera and is unresponsive to conventional AU therapies. Salt-dependent AU is a condition with specificity for the salinity of water.
Is aquagenic pruritus a disease? ›
Aquagenic pruritus is a skin disease characterized by the development of severe itching on contact with water without observable skin lesions. The symptoms may be felt immediately after contact with water and can persist for an hour or longer.
What allergies cause pruritus? ›
Wool, chemicals, soaps and other things can irritate the skin and cause rashes and itching. Sometimes a substance, such as poison ivy or cosmetics, causes an allergic reaction. Also, reactions to certain medicines, such as narcotics to treat pain (opioids) can cause itchy skin.
Why does my bath water make me itch? ›
Dry skin lacks moisture and may feel tight or itchy, especially after a shower. Cleansers, soap, and water can remove the skin's natural oils that keep it supple and prevent dryness. When a person takes a hot shower, the soap, and water strip away the skin's oils, which can cause the skin to feel tight and itchy.
What does the swimmer's itch parasite look like? ›
What does swimmer's itch (cercarial dermatitis) look like? Swimmer's itch (cercarial dermatitis) looks like a rash with reddish bumps or pimples. It may also cause small blisters on the skin and itch or burn. Swimmer's itch can only appear on skin that has had contact with infested water.
