Characterization of chronic itch in college students in China

• Published in: EJD. European journal of dermatology 2022, Vol.32 (1), p.64-69
• Main Authors: Gu, Xiaoyu, Su, Juan, Tao, Juan, Kang, Xiaojing, Shan, Shijun, Wang, Xiaohui, Wu, Bin, Xiao, Yi, Chen, Xiang, Shen, Minxue
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: China - epidemiology; Clinical Report; Dermatology; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1167-1122; 1952-4013
• DOI: 10.1684/ejd.2022.4193

Background Chronic itch affects a et al. range of individuals and has a noticeable influence on human health. However, epidemiological characteristics of chronic itch have not yet been adequately addressed. Objectives To investigate the prevalence and associated factors for chronic itch. Materials & Methods This was a cross-sectional study of first-year students in five universities in different regions of China. Chronic itch was defined as moderate-to-severe itch for more than six weeks. Social and behavioural factors were measured through an online questionnaire survey. Environmental factors including humidity, temperature and levels of air pollutants at district/county level were obtained from public datasets. Generalized linear-mixed models were used to fit multi-level data. Results A total of 27,144 students were enrolled to the universities and 18,360 subjects who completed the survey were included in the final analysis. The mean age of participants was 18.3 ± 0.8 years, and 51.1% were women. The point prevalence of chronic itch was 16.9%. Chronic itch was associated with female sex (OR = 0.78, p < 0.001) and was inversely associated with higher parental educational levels. With respect to environmental factors, chronic itch was significantly associated with relative humidity (OR=1.01, p = 0.02), temperature (OR =1.03, p