• Jewel Raj Zachariah, Aravind Lakshmana Rao, Ratna Prabha, Ashish Kumar Gupta, M Kingsly Paul, and Shashank Lamba.
• Department of Plastic Surgery, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. drjewelpaul@gmail.com
• Burns. 2012 Aug 1;38(5):621-9.

AbstractPost burn pruritus is a well recognised symptom in almost all burn patients. Yet, there is insufficient awareness about the etiopathogenesis and a lack of a systematic approach in the assessment and treatment of this distressing symptom. The current standard therapies include antihistamines, which are effective as sole therapy in only 20% patients, and emollients. There is a lacunae of clear consensus on the care of patients not responding to antihistamines. We review the literature on the etiology and pathogenesis of post burn pruritus, which has both central and peripheral pathways. The published studies on the currently available therapeutic options to treat itch in burns are discussed. On the basis of current evidence in literature, gabapentin used in the treatment of neuropathic pain, has demonstrated great promise, and is suggested as the next option for this subset of patients, not relieved with antihistamines.Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

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