The case in summary: Researchers at Harvard have found a possible cause of intense itching that accompanies many skin diseases, and are proposing a potential treatment. The researchers found that a bacterium secretes enzymes that activate a protein on the nerve fibers, which sends a message to the brain to itch. An existing drug used to prevent blood clots was used to block this chain reaction in mice, causing them to stop itching. The researchers hope to be able to develop creams with this drug to treat itching in humans. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Everyone has felt the urge to itch. Like when the mosquitoes have fed on you on a summer evening, or when you’re wearing an annoying wool sweater. But for quite a few of us, itching is a much bigger and more intrusive part of life. – The itch sucks energy. Are people looking at me? Do they think I have lice? Sitting and scratching affects the mindset, but is also physically tiring, says Emilie Bergmann. Many would rather get rid of an itch than a rash. The 26-year-old from Trondheim has had psoriasis since his early teens. Atopic eczema is even more common. Approximately 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults suffer. It is difficult to give an exact figure, but around the time of the rain, up to 1 million Norwegians may have an itchy skin disease. – The itching can affect sleep at night. But what is perhaps the worst for me are professional settings such as work or meetings, says Bergmann. Emilie Bergmann has psoriasis, which approximately 3 percent of Norwegians have. For her, it started with a dry patch on her arm and developed into a furious rash in several places on her body. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news Scratching relieves for a while. But when the queue returns, it is often even worse. Chlorination can cause wounds, inflammation and scars. – Many skin patients do not primarily want a cure or to get rid of a visible rash. As long as they get rid of the itch, they say they can stand the second. This is what Mari Øvergaard, secretary general of the Psoriasis and Eczema Association, tells us. – Imagine what it’s like to scratch large parts of the body, day and night – for weeks or months, says Mari Øvergaard, general secretary of the Psoriasis and Eczema Association (PEF). Photo: Tøri Gjendal But where does the hideous and irresistible itch come from? Research on mice The perception has been that the skin diseases themselves cause inflammation that itches. A brand new study from Harvard University in the US, however, suggests that the itch has nothing to do with the disorder itself. People with chronic skin diseases, such as psoriasis and atopic eczema, are found to have a lot of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus in their skin. Could this bacteria be the villain? The American scientists had a suspicion. Therefore, they placed the bacteria on the skin of mice. They quickly saw that the mice developed an intense urge to scratch. The itching got worse and worse over several days, which in turn caused sores. The researchers proceeded more thoroughly, and can now tell of a chain reaction. Tells the brain: ITCH! – It is exciting to find out that staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that is often found on the skin surface of patients with eczema, can directly cause itching, says Isaac Chiu. He is an associate professor of immunology at the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and co-leads the research team with Liwen Deng. – Chronic itching can destroy the quality of life, says Isaac Chiu. This was one of the things that made the Harvard team want to research this very thing. The chain reaction they have discovered starts as the bacteria invades the skin and begins to secrete various enzymes. One of these activates a protein on the nerve fibres. Through the spinal cord, a message then goes up to the brain: ITCH! NOW! People with itchy skin diseases have both more of the bacteria and the enzyme in their skin. In addition, it turns out that the high levels make the skin oversensitive, according to the researchers. That is, just a light touch can trigger an intense urge to scratch. Exactly this makes a lot of sense to Emilie Bergmann. – It’s not just my spots that itch, she says. Psoriasis is an inflammation of the skin that can cause rashes over large parts of the body. For Emilie Bergmann, the rash is worst on her hands and arms right now. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news Medicine against blood clots A weakness of the study is that they have not yet conducted research on humans. But the clear results they saw in mice solve much of the itch mystery, according to Isaac Chiu and team. And with answers often comes a solution. The researchers were able to block the chain reaction in the mice. And that with a medicine that already exists. It is approved for use in the United States to prevent blood clots. When mice were given the tablets, they stopped itching. – We are now wondering whether creams can be made with the drug or similar drugs in the future, says Chiu. Mari Øvergaard in the Psoriasis and Eczema Association applauds for a possible solution. But: – If there is something that skin patients do a lot, it is smearing themselves. I think many people think it would be great with a tablet instead. Emilie Bergmann would prefer to have medicine in cream form. – Whether it’s cream or tablets, I want to find out about side effects and how good the effect is. But getting a treatment against the itch in itself would have been absolutely fantastic, she says. The research is published in Cell.
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Why does atopic eczema, psoriasis and other skin diseases itch? Researchers think they now know the answer – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
