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Should old pruritus be forgot? Remembered itch
DERMATOLOGY AS
SHE IS SPOKE
Should old pruritus be forgot? Remembered itch
N
otalgia paresthetica is a rather common itch that affects parts of the upper back that are not easy to reach. Shel Silverstein wrote a poem about it called ‘‘Unscratchable itch.’’ When I was writing about it recently, Microsoft Word took the automatic liberty of ‘‘correcting’’ notalgia to nostalgia. Until now, remembered itch has been an either nonexistent, heretofore unnamed, poorly named, or forgotten entity. But many of us can remember various itches, and the clinical phenomenon of previously itchy areas becoming itchy again is a daily occurrence
J Am Acad Dermatol 2005;53:84. 0190-9622/$30.00 ª 2005 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.05.024
84
in various settings, such as recurrent lichen simplex chronicus, atopic dermatitis, bite reactions, brachioradial pruritus, mitempfindungen, and, of course, notalgia paresthetica. ‘‘Remembered itch’’ happens. It could have a variety of mechanisms, ranging from local cutaneous alterations to peripheral or central sensitization of neurons. We could call it nostalgia paresthetica. This might be the first example of a medical condition named by a computer. Jeffrey D. Bernhard, MD Editor
SHE IS SPOKE
Should old pruritus be forgot? Remembered itch
N
otalgia paresthetica is a rather common itch that affects parts of the upper back that are not easy to reach. Shel Silverstein wrote a poem about it called ‘‘Unscratchable itch.’’ When I was writing about it recently, Microsoft Word took the automatic liberty of ‘‘correcting’’ notalgia to nostalgia. Until now, remembered itch has been an either nonexistent, heretofore unnamed, poorly named, or forgotten entity. But many of us can remember various itches, and the clinical phenomenon of previously itchy areas becoming itchy again is a daily occurrence
J Am Acad Dermatol 2005;53:84. 0190-9622/$30.00 ª 2005 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.05.024
84
in various settings, such as recurrent lichen simplex chronicus, atopic dermatitis, bite reactions, brachioradial pruritus, mitempfindungen, and, of course, notalgia paresthetica. ‘‘Remembered itch’’ happens. It could have a variety of mechanisms, ranging from local cutaneous alterations to peripheral or central sensitization of neurons. We could call it nostalgia paresthetica. This might be the first example of a medical condition named by a computer. Jeffrey D. Bernhard, MD Editor