Pruritus in Palliative Care: A Narrative Review of Essential Oil-Based Strategies to Alleviate Cutaneous Discomfort.

IF 3 Q2 MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL
Sara Diogo Gonçalves
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Abstract

Pruritus is a common and distressing symptom in palliative care, often resulting from complex underlying conditions such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, and liver failure. Conventional pharmacological treatments frequently offer limited relief and may produce undesirable side effects in this medically fragile population. Despite the high prevalence and impact of pruritus in palliative care, there is a lack of consolidated evidence on integrative non-pharmacological approaches. This narrative review explores the potential role of essential oils as a complementary approach to managing pruritus in palliative settings. A review of the literature was conducted to examine the mechanisms of action, safety considerations, and clinical outcomes associated with the use of essential oils, with a particular focus on their anti-inflammatory, neuromodulatory, and soothing properties. Evidence suggests that essential oils may provide symptom relief and enhance quality of life when integrated into multidisciplinary care; however, small sample sizes, heterogeneity, and methodological weaknesses often limit the findings of these studies. Furthermore, the long-term safety and antigenotoxic potential of essential oils remain underexplored. This narrative review concludes that while essential oils appear promising as adjunct therapies for pruritus, further rigorous research, particularly well-designed clinical trials and toxicological assessments, is needed to support their safe and effective use in palliative care.

瘙痒在姑息治疗:叙述回顾精油为基础的策略,以减轻皮肤不适。
瘙痒症是姑息治疗中一种常见且令人痛苦的症状,通常由复杂的潜在疾病如癌症、慢性肾脏疾病和肝功能衰竭引起。传统的药物治疗往往提供有限的缓解,并可能产生不良的副作用,在这个医学脆弱的人群。尽管瘙痒在姑息治疗中的患病率和影响很高,但缺乏综合非药物治疗方法的综合证据。这篇叙述性的评论探讨了精油作为一种辅助方法,以管理瘙痒在姑息设置的潜在作用。对文献进行了回顾,以检查与使用精油相关的作用机制,安全性考虑因素和临床结果,特别关注其抗炎,神经调节和舒缓特性。有证据表明,如果将精油纳入多学科护理,可能会缓解症状并提高生活质量;然而,小样本量、异质性和方法上的弱点往往限制了这些研究的结果。此外,精油的长期安全性和抗毒性潜力仍未得到充分探索。这篇叙述性综述的结论是,虽然精油作为瘙痒症的辅助疗法似乎很有希望,但需要进一步严格的研究,特别是精心设计的临床试验和毒理学评估,以支持其在姑息治疗中的安全有效使用。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.80
自引率
0.00%
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0
审稿时长
6 weeks
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