Brachioradial pruritus

Abstract

Brachioradial pruritus (BRP) is a localized itch in the skin of the lateral aspects of the arms. It was first reported by Waisman in 1968, who termed it solar pruritus of the elbows, describing its occurrence in patients in Florida who showed a localized itch of the skin on the dorsolateral aspect of the arm.1 In 1984, 14 patients were reported from South Africa 2 and a group of 110 Hawaiian patients with chronic intermittent pruritus has been described in two early reports.3,4 All of the patients described earlier lived in the tropics or subtropics, therefore it was suggested that BRP is a photoneurological disorder caused by sun-induced damage to nerve endings that results in pruritus and altered sensation in susceptible individuals.3,5 There has been some controversy about the origin of BRP and another theory favors cervical root impingement as the cause of BRP.6 © 2010 Springer-Verlag London.