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Racial disparities in the impact of chronic pruritus: A cross-sectional study on quality of life and resource utilization in United States veterans.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pruritus has a lifetime prevalence of up to 26% in the worldwide population. Research has shown that the incidence and quality of life (QoL) impact of chronic pruritus varies by race.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore the effects of race on specific pruritus-related QoL factors and resource utilization.

METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional, national telephone survey of 6000 US veterans randomly sampled from the Veterans Hospital Patient Database. We administered surveys to assess QoL impact and resource utilization of chronic pruritus.

RESULTS: Nonwhites overall reported higher levels of burning and scarring with their pruritus. African Americans had a significantly greater emotional impact and use of special soaps, lotions, and clothes. African Americans were also more likely to visit their primary care provider for pruritus (P = .03), yet had similar numbers of specialty care visits.

LIMITATIONS: Because our sample was drawn from a veteran population, generalizability may be limited.

CONCLUSION: The data indicate a racial disparity in specific QoL impact and resource utilization from pruritus. These findings merit further exploration into explanations, such as access, communication, trust of the medical system, and biologic differences.

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