Evaluation of the symptom of itch ambulatory office-based care in the United States

Introduction: This study was designed to assess the characteristics of visits for itch from a cross-sectional study of office-based ambulatory care in the United States. Methods: To characterize itch as a symptom, ambulatory visits from the 1993 to 2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed when they included “itching” as a symptom or itch as a diagnosis code (ICD-9-CM 692.X). Results: This study finds 129 million itch visits occurred, averaging 5.6 million visits per year. There is seasonality to itch visits, with the largest numbers occurring in summer and fewest in winter. Vulvovaginal conditions including candidiasis and vaginitis and vulvovaginitis are commonly associated with itching, yet under-represented in the dermatology literature. Discussion: These data provide insights for further investigation into the burden of itch-related diseases.