What is Neural Itching? Nervous Itching Symptoms and Treatment

Sometimes during the day, you may experience itching. This is quite normal and occurs as a result of natural processes in the body. For long-term, frequently recurring, severe and disturbing itching, the underlying medical reasons should be investigated. One of these reasons is nervous itching. Nervous itching problem has a quality that can negatively affect the daily life of the individual. Therefore, it is necessary to treat it with appropriate methods. However, it may be difficult to understand that itching is of nervous origin. Therefore, it is important to consult a specialist physician, especially for long-lasting and recurrent itching complaints. Thus, all the factors that can cause itching can be systematically evaluated and the right treatment approach can be applied

What is Nervous Itching?

Nervous itching is a medical term that covers both neuropathic and psychological itching. Neural networks, which are systematically distributed in every part of the body, are in communication with the brain and with each other. Therefore, any problem involving the brain or different parts of the nervous system may affect the webs extending to the skin. As a result, a feeling of itching may occur, which has a similar mechanism to the sensation of pain. This type of pruritus is called neuropathic pruritus. In psychogenic itching, chemical processes affecting the brain are reflected in the neural networks under the skin. Psychogenic pruritus is a medical condition just like other causes of itching. Therefore, it is necessary to treat pruritus of both neuropathic and psychogenic types appropriately. For this reason, it is important to accurately determine that the itching is caused by the reasons mentioned above. In general, the causes of itching are examined under several main headings.

• Dermatological
• Systematic
• Neurological
• Psychological
• Idiopathic

Dermatological pruritus complements the acute or chronic type of itching that occurs due to any disease affecting the skin tissue. Dermatological problems such as eczema and urticaria are among the causes of itching. In the systematic type, it is the result of any disease affecting the body. There is a complaint of itching caused by metabolic and other pathways. For example, severe itching may be observed due to systemic diseases such as cirrhosis involving the liver and biliary tract. Pruritus caused by pregnancy and drug use are also included in the group of itching of systematic origin. Neurological pruritus is a condition involving the brain and peripheral nervous system. In the type that can be expressed as psychological or psychogenic, although the main complaint is itching, it is known that various psychiatric disorders are the main cause. Itching that does not fit any of these types and the cause of which has not yet been explained despite all medical examinations is considered idiopathic.

How Does Neural Itching Happen?

There are specialized receptor cells under the skin that provide impulse transmission. Each of these cells has a different function. Thus, signals such as vibration, pressure, temperature and pain can be transmitted to the central nervous system. The central nervous system, which includes the spinal cord and brain, processes the incoming signals and creates appropriate responses for the protection of the body. Pain sensation may occur in problems affecting any part of this neural network. The sensation of pain can be perceived as electricity, burning or itching, depending on the main factor. The itching that occurs as a result of the mentioned mechanism is called neurogenic pruritus. Factors that cause neurogenic pruritus are as follows:

• Notalgia paresthetica: It is a type of neuropathic pain that affects the back region and can cause severe itching.
• Peripheral neuropathy: It spreads to the body in the form of a network and is responsible for various functions. Depending on the inflammatory processes occurring in any part of the peripheral nervous system, one may encounter complaints of pain and itching affecting that area.
• Vitamin deficiency: Neuron damage may occur due to the deficiency of essential substances such as B12 and folic acid, which are necessary for the nervous system to function properly. As a result, complaints of pain and itching may occur.
• Malignancy: Tumor in the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nervous system may cause Itching may occur as a result of the damage caused by the inflammatory process.
• Multiple sclerosis: It is a disease observed in the myelin sheath surrounding the neurons in the central nervous system.

itching may occur. In this type, which is called psychogenic pruritus, the main factors can be summarized as follows:

• Obsessive compulsive disorder: Repetitive thoughts that disturb the person are defined as obsessions. Compulsions are some behavioral rituals that occur in response to these thoughts. The person repeats a number of movements in order to alleviate the obsessive thoughts that disturb him. In individuals with this disorder, the complaint of itching may also occur as a kind of compulsion. In the background of depression, there are some chemical processes that occur in the brain. There are many studies showing that the hormone called serotonin is at low levels in depression. Antidepressant drugs that increase serotonin levels are used for treatment purposes. The itching seen in depression actually has a similar purpose. The slight pain sensation that occurs with scratching triggers the production of serotonin in the brain. Due to this mechanism, itching is also observed in some cases of depression.
• Somatoform disorders: Conditions in which the symptom occurring in any part of the body cannot be explained by any organic cause, but which is related to the psychological quality of the person are explained as somatoform disorder. In somatoform disorders, which cover a wide group, there is a medical problem that bothers the person. The mentioned problem does not have to be detected during the examination. For example, in a condition called hypochondriasis, although there are no symptoms, the individual has a serious fear of illness. Itching is a symptom that can be seen frequently among somatoform disorders.

What are the Symptoms of Neurological Itching?

Some of the features seen together with neurogenic pruritus, which causes nervous itching, are as follows. :

• Burning sensation
• Perception of the skin as wet
• E Complaints defined as electric shock
• Drowsiness in the affected area
• Pain

The frequency and severity of complaints occurring in neuropathic pruritus may vary depending on the underlying cause and an opinion about the severity of the disease can be obtained. does not. For example, although irritating itching may occur initially in diabetes-induced peripheral neuropathy, sensation may not occur in later stages due to severe nerve damage. As a result, it can be seen that the individual does not feel anything even in situations that are expected to cause excessive pain. Therefore, regardless of the severity, it is recommended to consult a specialist physician for long-term itching problems. Apart from neurogenic factors, the symptoms that can be observed with psychogenic pruritus, which is another cause of nervous itching, are as follows.

• Itching that cannot be explained by any other medical reason. complaint
• The fact that psychiatric problems and emotional/intellectual processes affect the severity, frequency and duration by triggering itching

How Does Nervous Itching Go?

In nervous itching, different treatment methods should be applied for other reasons. The treatment is shaped according to the underlying disease causing itching. The types of treatments frequently applied for nervous pruritus can be summarized as follows:

• Creams containing local anesthetics such as lidocaine
• Neurostimulation techniques
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Antidepressants
• Some drugs that regulate the nervous system, such as gabapentin
• Botox therapy

In addition to the above methods, the basic medical condition that causes itching should also be treated appropriately. For this purpose, a treatment program directed by specialist physicians in neurology, dermatology and psychiatry can be followed. Thus, all the factors that cause itching can be dealt with in detail and a solution can be produced. The most correct approach for the treatment of nervous itching can be established as a result of examinations and tests performed by the relevant doctor. For this reason, it is recommended to apply to a health institution as soon as possible for long-term and disturbing itching problems.

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