Pruritus in HIV-infected patients in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy: a study of its prevalence and causes

HIV: Inflammatory dermatoses

Patients living with HIV may experience a variety of inflammatory dermatoses, ranging from exacerbations of underlying conditions to those triggered by HIV infection itself. This article presents a current literature review on the etiology, diagnosis and management of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, pityriasis rubra pilaris, lichen planus, seborrheic dermatitis, eosinophilic folliculitis, pruritic papular eruption and pruritus, in patients living with HIV.

Itch: Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and diagnostic workup

Itch, or pruritus, is the uncomfortable sensation underlying the desire to scratch. Itch is a very common complaint in the general population that can result from dermatologic, systemic (eg, renal, hepatobiliary, endocrine), paraneoplastic, neuropathic, and psychogenic etiologies. Chronic itch is associated with significant sleep disturbances and profoundly reduces overall quality of life. Certain populations, including elderly and African Americans, are at increased risk of experiencing heightened burden of itch. Because of the variable clinical presentation and wide-ranging etiologies, itch presents a challenge for clinicians. The initial evaluation should include a complete blood count, with differential, hepatic, renal, and thyroid function testing along with diabetes screening. Further testing should be guided by history and physical examination findings. There should be a heightened concern for underlying malignancy in individuals older than 60 years of age who have a history of liver disease and diffuse itch less than 12 months of duration. For individuals with chronic pruritus of unknown origin, increased blood eosinophils may serve as a biomarker of T helper cell type 2 polarization and response to immunomodulator therapies. In this first part of a 2-part continuing medical education series, we describe the broader epidemiology and specific conditions associated with itch and the clinical presentation and diagnostic workup for patients with itch.

Hallazgos en piel en pacientes con infección por VIH en Bogotá

Objetivo Describir los hallazgos en piel y las características sociodemográficas de pacientes VIH positivos atendidos en un centro de remisión en Bogotá. Métodos Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo, incluyendo adultos con infección por VIH atendidos en el Hospital Universitario San Ignacio de Bogotá, entre abril de 2019 y febrero de 2020. A partir de un interrogatorio, un examen físico y la revisión de historias clínicas, se registraron hallazgos en piel, datos de terapia antirre- troviral recibida, conteo de linfocitos CD4+ y carga viral para VIH, así como pruebasmicológicas e histopatológicas (cuando fueron necesarias). Resultados Se evaluó un total de 168 pacientes que, en su mayoría, eran hombres (88,7%), en la cuarta década de la vida, de orientación HSH (77,4%), con fototipos del II al IV (97%) y manejados con terapia antirretroviral (94,6%). Se encontraron hallazgos en piel en el 97,6% de los pacientes, siendo más frecuentes las infecciones (43,8%), específicamente los condilomas anogenitales, principalmente en pacientes con <200 linfocitos CD4+/mm3, seguidas por las condiciones inflamatorias (35,4%), principalmente dermatitis seborreica y acné. Este último, más frecuente en pacientes con >200 linfocitos CD4+/mm3. Conclusiones Los hallazgos más frecuentes en piel fueron: dermatitis seborreica, condilomas anogenitales, verrugas virales, moluscos contagiosos y micosis superficiales, que se asemeja a lo reportado en poblaciones con buen control inmunovirológico de la enfermedad. La alta prevalencia de condilomas anogenitales nos invita a imple- mentar estrategias de tamización para VPH, así como de educación en infecciones de transmisión sexual.

Antipruritic Effect of Nalbuphine, a Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist, in Mice: A Pan Antipruritic

Antipruritic effects of kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists have been shown in rodent models of acute and chronic scratching (itchlike behavior). Three KOR agonists, nalfurafine, difelikefalin, and nalbuphine, are in clinical studies for antipruritic effects in chronic itch of systemic and skin diseases. Nalfurafine (in Japan) and difelikefalin (in the USA) were approved to be used in the treatment of chronic itch in hemodialysis patients. The FDA-approved nalbuphine has been used in clinic for over 40 years, and it is the only narcotic agonist that is not scheduled. We aimed to study (a) antiscratch activity of nalbuphine against TAT-HIV-1 protein (controls HIV transcription)-, deoxycholic acid (DCA, bile acid)-, and chloroquine (CQ)-induced scratching in a mouse model of acute itch; and (b) whether the effect of nalbuphine is produced via KORs. First, dose-responses were developed for pruritogens. Mice were pretreated with nalbuphine (0.3-10 mg/kg) and then a submaximal dose of pruritogens were administered and the number of scratching bouts was counted. To study if the antiscratch effect of nalbuphine is produced via KOR, we used KOR knock out mice and pharmacologic inhibition of KORs using nor-binaltorphimine, a KOR antagonist. For this aim, we used CQ as a pruritogen. We found that: (a) TAT-HIV-1 protein elicits scratching in a dose-dependent manner; (b) nalbuphine inhibits scratching induced by TAT-HIV-1, DCA, and CQ dose-dependently; and (c) nalbuphine inhibits scratching induced by CQ through KORs. In conclusion, nalbuphine inhibits scratching elicited by multiple pruritogens.

Infectious differential diagnosis of chronic generalized pruritus without primary cutaneous lesions: a review of the literature

Pruritus is one of the most common complaints among patients referred to a dermatology clinic. "Chronic generalized pruritus" is described as the sensation of itching on the entire body surface, which lasts at least 6 or more weeks. This symptom can be a disabling phenomenon for patients and may sometimes interfere with daily activities such as sleep. If specific dermatological findings are observed, the physician easily comes to a diagnosis and treats the condition, whereas, when primary lesions are not detected, the diagnosis can become challenging, and some patients have to undergo extensive evaluations. The association between some systemic disorders and chronic generalized pruritus is widely known and confirmed. Many infections have been associated with pruritus, but few are considered to cause chronic generalized pruritus without any characteristic skin lesions. We aimed to gather all the available data on infectious causes of chronic generalized pruritus with no diagnostic cutaneous lesions to assist fellow physicians in the process of evaluation of these challenging cases.

Nalbuphine, a kappa opioid receptor agonist and mu opioid receptor antagonist attenuates pruritus, decreases IL-31, and increases IL-10 in mice with contact dermatitis

Chronic itch is one of the disturbing symptoms of inflammatory skin diseases. Kappa opioid receptor agonists are effective in suppressing scratching in mice against different pruritogens. Nalbuphine, a nonscheduled kappa opioid receptor agonist and mu opioid receptor antagonist, has been in clinical use for post-operative pain management since the 1980s and recently has been in clinical trials for chronic itch of prurigo nodularis (https://www.trevitherapeutics.com/nalbuphine). We studied whether nalbuphine is effective against chronic scratching induced by rostral neck application of 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNFB), an accepted mouse model of contact dermatitis to study pruritoceptive itch. Mice were treated once a week with either saline or nalbuphine 20 min before the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth sensitizations with DNFB and the number of scratching bouts was counted for 30 min. Skin samples from the neck of mice at week 4 were used to measure protein levels and mRNA expressions of chemokines and cytokines. Different sets of mice were used to study sedation and anhedonic-like behavior of nalbuphine. We found that: nalbuphine (a) antagonized scratching in a dose- and time-dependent manner without affecting locomotion, b) decreased IL-31, and increased anti-inflammatory IL-10, and c) induced more elevations in the levels of CCL2, CCL3, CCL12, CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL9, CXCL10, IL-1β, IL-16, TIMP-1, M-CSF, TREM-1 and M1-type macrophages compared to saline. Increases in chemokines and cytokines and M1 macrophages by nalbuphine suggest an inflammatory phase of healing in damaged skin due to scratching. Our data indicate that nalbuphine is an effective antipruritic in murine model of pruritoceptive itch.

Chronic pruritus in HIV-positive patients in the southeastern United States: its prevalence and effect on quality of life

BACKGROUND

Prevalence of chronic pruritus in HIV-positive patients is an underevaluated topic in the United States. The characteristics, severity, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with HIV and chronic pruritus have not been well documented using validated tools.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to assess the prevalence and intensity of chronic pruritus and its effect on QOL in HIV-positive patients in a US population.

METHODS

HIV-positive patients (n = 201) were asked to complete a sociodemographic data form and 2 itch questionnaires. Patients with itching rated their itch intensity on a numeric visual analog scale. Laboratory parameters were obtained from patients' medical records.

RESULTS

The prevalence of chronic itch in the study group was 45% with an average visual analog scale score of 5.93 during an itch episode. Patients with high visual analog scale score had significantly decreased QOL. Patients with HIV reported greater negative impact of pruritus on daily lives.

LIMITATIONS

Because of the cross-sectional design, this study demonstrates an association between HIV and pruritus but cannot prove causation.

CONCLUSION

Patients with HIV surveyed in a large clinic in the southeastern United States have a high prevalence of pruritus; HIV pruritus has a significant effect on QOL and itch is the most common skin manifestation found in this population.

Dermatophytosis and immunovirological status of HIV-infected and AIDS patients from Sao Paulo city, Brazil

Over the past decades, more people became infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Because of that the incidence of fungal infections rose dramatically. It happened because this virus can modify the course of fungal diseases, leading to altered clinical pictures. The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological and biological aspects of dermatophytosis in HIV-positive and AIDS patients living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 84 (44 HIV-positive and 40 AIDS) patients were enrolled in this study. The patients were tested for dermatophyte infections, as well as for the CD4(+) /CD8(+) and HIV viral load counts. Tinea unguium was most frequently observed in AIDS patients, whereas Tinea pedis was mostly observed in HIV-positive patients. The most frequent dermatophyte species was Trichophyton rubrum. CD4(+) counts and CD4(+) /CD8(+) ratios were not associated with a higher risk for dermatophytosis. On the other hand, viral load higher than 100 000 copies/ml was associated with a higher frequency of dermatophytosis. The results suggest to that although dermatophytosis is common in HIV-positive and AIDS patients, the degree of immunosuppression does not seems to correlate with increased risk of this fungal infection. In addition, high viral load as a predictive risk factor for dermatophyte infection should be subject of further evaluations.