Continuing medical educationPrurigo nodularis: Epidemiology and clinical features
Section snippets
Key points
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Prurigo nodularis is a chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin disease characterized by numerous symmetrically distributed hyperkeratotic nodules most commonly on the extensor surfaces of the extremities and trunk
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Prurigo nodularis is diagnosed clinically, although biopsy specimens of lesional skin can show thickened, hyperplastic dermal nerve fibers with decreased density of intraepidermal nerve fibers
Prurigo nodularis (PN) was first described by Hyde in 1909,1 who detailed the hyperkeratotic
Key points
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Prurigo nodularis most commonly affects middle-aged adults and tends to be diagnosed more frequently in females compared with males
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Patients with skin of color, including African Americans, are also at increased risk
Prevalence
PN is a relatively rare condition, with an estimated prevalence of 72 per 100,000 individuals in an epidemiologic study of US adults 18 to 64 years of age who have health care insurance.13 Given the variability in the coding of PN in medical claims data, this figure may be a
Key points
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Prurigo nodularis is associated with increased rates of mental health, endocrine, cardiovascular, and renal disorders, as well as HIV and malignancy
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The burden of systemic comorbidities in prurigo nodularis often exceeds that of other inflammatory skin disorders (ie, atopic dermatitis or psoriasis)
A variety of comorbidities associated with PN have been identified through case series and epidemiologic studies. Knowledge of associated comorbidities can help guide the provider in the comprehensive
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Prurigo nodularis—A case report
2024, SemergenSystemic Complications of Primary Biliary Cholangitis
2024, Clinics in Liver DiseaseComparing the Efficacy of Updated Treatment Choices for Prurigo Nodularis: A Network Meta-Analysis
2024, Journal of Investigative DermatologySingle-cell profiling of prurigo nodularis demonstrates immune-stromal crosstalk driving profibrotic responses and reversal with nemolizumab
2024, Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyA Polygenic Risk Score for Predicting Racial and Genetic Susceptibility to Prurigo Nodularis
2023, Journal of Investigative Dermatology
Funding sources: Dr Kwatra received grant funding from the Skin of Color Society and is a recipient of the Dermatology Foundation Medical Dermatology Career Development Award.
Date of release: December 2020.
Expiration date: December 2023.
Conflicts of interest: Dr Kwatra is an advisory board member for Pfizer Inc, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Menlo Therapeutics and has received grant funding from Pfizer Inc and Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals. The other authors involved with this journal-based CME activity have reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial interest(s).