Antihistamines in the treatment of pruritus in psoriasis

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the efcacy of antihistamines in reducing pruritus in psoriasis, 61 patients were randomized to be treated for 1 week with clemastine (n = 20), levocetirizine (n = 21) or placebo (n = 20). Material and methods: All patients received the same routine antipsoriatic treatment. Itch intensity was assessed with VAS and the Itch Questionnaire, and hand movements during sleep were counted with an accelerometer. Results: There was a statistically signifcant decrease in mean VAS scoring in clemastine and levocetirizine groups (p < 0.001), but not in the placebo group. Questionnaire scoring decreased signifcantly during the study in all study groups, with the greatest improvement noted in the clemastine group. The number of wrist movements during sleep did not differ signifcantly between groups. Conclusions: Antihistamines of the frst and second generations seem to be effective in reducing itch in patients with psoriasis, albeit the antipruritic effect is rather moderate. These observations need to be confrmed on larger patient groups.