The future: critical knowledge about anti-itch therapy

Itch is an extremely frequent and enervating symptom of many diseases. Current anti-itch therapy, which is based almost exclusively on an "immunocentric" viewpoint, is often unsatisfactory. Recent studies show that this symptom is in fact the result of a complex interplay among skin, nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. This explains the frequent failure of therapeutic strategies focused only on a single factor and suggests the usefulness of a polypharmacologic symptomatic treatment, designed on a case-by-case basis as a result of a multidisciplinary approach. We discuss the perspectives of anti-itch therapy in light of the new pathogenetic and pharmacologic acquisitions. Copyright © Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 2005.