Presence and characteristics of senile pruritus among Danish elderly living in nursing homes.

Aim: To explore the pattern of occurrence and characteristics of senile pruritus among elderly living in nursing homes in the Northern region of Denmark.
Materials & Methods: A Danish questionnaire was developed and distributed to six nursing homes from which 46 residents participated.
Results: The prevalence of chronic itch was 28.9%. Evening-night and autumn-winter with an average daily itch of 30 min were reported. Itch interfered with night sleep and daily activities. Scratching was common with 61.5% accompanying scratch marks. Half of participants reported Xerosis. Cream, cold compress and cold shower were found to be the most effective remedies for itch relief.
Conclusion: The present study revealed a high prevalence of chronic pruritus including cases of senile pruritus that needs further exploration for treatment or preventive strategies.
Competing Interests: Financial & competing interests disclosure The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.