Transcutaneous Slowly Depolarizing Currents Elicit Pruritus in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis

Slowly depolarizing currents applied for one minute have been shown to activate C-nociceptors and provoke increasing pain in patients with neuropathy. This study examined the effect of transcutaneous slowly depolarizing currents on pruritus in patients with atopic dermatitis. C-nociceptor-specific electrical stimu?lation was applied to areas of eczema-affected and non-affected skin in 26 patients with atopic dermatitis. Single half-sine wave pulses (500 ms, 0.2?1 mA) induced itch in 9 patients in eczema-affected areas of the skin (numerical rating scale 5???1), but pain in control skin (numerical rating scale 6???1).Sinusoidal stimuli (4 Hz, 10 pulses, 0.025?0.4 mA) evoked itch in only 3 patients in eczema-affected areas of the skin but on delivering pulses for one minute (0.05?0.2 mA) 48% of the patients (n=?12) reported itch with numerical rating scale 4???1 in areas of eczema-affected skin. The number of patients reporting itch in eczema-affected areas of the skin increased with longer stimulation (p?