Itch
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD, April 1, 2022
That final frontier that torments us almost as much as it does our patients. I have always considered itch to be one of the worst conditions that our patients suffer from. Itch distracts and interrupts. It nags and it torments. Itch disrupts sleep for some, while others cannot stay awake from some of our traditional treatments for itch. Itch is one of those conditions that, at least until relatively recently, we all thought we knew; however, it turns out, perhaps not surprisingly, that itch is much more complicated than we might have once thought. Spoiler alert: it’s more than just histamine. Thanks to the fabulous work of some of our brilliant colleagues, our understanding of the pathogenesis of itch has advanced significantly in recent years. We are now able to hopefully distinguish between different types of itch and treat them accordingly, in some cases with newly developed drugs. I think you will enjoy our discussion this month with some of the itch experts in our field. Their work is quite inspiring and will, I believe, be of benefit to many of our patients. The American poet Ogden Nash is credited with having said, “happiness is having a scratch for every itch.” I think he was on to something.
I spend a lot of time bragging about the great advocacy and service work our members do with the Academy; however, many of our members engage closer to home with their state medical societies. The state level is often where advocacy issues come to the forefront and is where some of the most important battles are won or lost. Issues with reimbursement, medication availability, scope of practice, and others are often first recognized by the “boots on the ground” dermatologists at the state level before they are brought to the attention of all our colleagues through the Academy. How are state derm societies and the AADA related? While there is no formal organizational bond, the Academy strives to have a strong collaborative relationship with state societies, providing a wealth of expertise and resources. I can personally vouch for how valuable these interactions can be; many years ago, staff members from the AADA were invaluable when we fought to ban minors’ access to tanning beds in the state of Vermont. Academy staffers worked with us to formulate our plan; they helped watch the legislative calendar, provided advice when writing our talking points, arranged meetings, and provided valuable all-around support. I am certain their assistance was a major factor in our success! In more recent years, I have worked with members of our advocacy team who alert us when state legislation has been proposed that might impact our practices; because of this assistance, our state derm society has been able to successfully challenge some real threats. If you aren’t an active member of your state derm society, I encourage you to consider getting involved. Our feature article this month will surely inspire you. It’s a great way to make difference. Mom always said, “think globally, act locally.” I’m not quite sure this is what she had in mind, but it works for me!
I hope by this time spring is upon you. Those of you in the Northeast may still have to suffer through mud season (having lived through 10 years of that, I feel your pain), but with luck the snow has melted, and flowers are at least starting to bloom. Please take some time to enjoy the small beauties life offers us.
