by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have shown that a subset of T lymphocytes (immune cells seen at upper left) known as Th22 cells secrete a protein, interleukin-22 (center), that increases chemical signaling throughout the skin. This mediates inflammation that can lead to prurigo nodularis, also known as chronic itch (clinical...
by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Credit: CC0 Public Domain Chronic itch—known clinically as chronic pruritus—is characterized as an unrelenting and sometimes even debilitating sensation to itch, and often lowers the quality of life for those who suffer with it. Treating the condition has been difficult because there are few Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies....
“End of the antihistamine era” as new strategies target neural mechanisms by Charles Bankhead, Senior Editor, MedPage TodayOctober 18, 2019 LAS VEGAS — More options than ever exist for atopic itch conditions, offering the potential for better control but also increasing the complexity of patient management, a long-time itch research and clinician said here. “The most important thing to know, and you have...
MD/PhD student Landon K. Oetjen (left) and Brian S. Kim, MD (center), examine chronic itch patient Donald E. Hodges, whose symptoms improved following treatment with the arthritis drug tofacitinib. Kim and Oetjen tested the strategy The roots of chronic itching have long remained a mystery. Meanwhile, those with the condition suffer from an unrelenting...
