• Clin Med · Aug 2015

    Review

    Drug treatment of pruritus in liver diseases.

    • Vinod S Hegade, Stuart F W Kendrick, and David E J Jones.
    • Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and Institute of Cellular Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK vinod.hegade@ncl.ac.uk.
    • Clin Med. 2015 Aug 1; 15 (4): 351357351-7.

    AbstractPruritus (itch) is a common complication of cholestatic liver diseases (CLD). It can be a distressing and debilitating symptom, causing significant impairment in quality of life. Treatment of pruritus in liver diseases can be challenging and requires specific management with early initiation and a step-wise approach using specific drugs. Clinical trials are ongoing with novel agents that demonstrate potential efficacy. Patients with cholestatic pruritus are likely to present to a variety of clinicians who would benefit from medical awareness of available treatment options. In this review, we outline the pharmaceutical agents currently used to treat cholestatic pruritus and provide the evidence base for targeted symptom control of itch in liver diseases. We also highlight recent developments in the pathophysiology of cholestatic pruritus and the emerging novel therapies.© Royal College of Physicians 2015. All rights reserved.

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