Evaluation of patients with generalized pruritus

CBC: complete blood count; TSH: thyroid-stimulating hormone; BUN: blood urea nitrogen.
* Primary skin lesions are considered skin abnormalities that arise from the underlying skin disorder rather than skin changes that occur secondary to scratching, rubbing, skin picking, or other actions to relieve pruritus. Examples include inflamed papules, patches, or plaques. Of note, xerosis (dry skin) is a common cause of pruritus that may have subtle clinical findings.
¶ A wide variety of nondermatologic disorders may cause generalized pruritus. Examples include renal disease, liver disease, endocrine disease, malignancy, infections, systemic rheumatic disease, neurologic disease, psychiatric disease, and drug reactions.