Itching and the atopic skin.

Itching is one of the major diagnostic criteria of atopic dermatitis and one of its most troublesome symptoms. The symptom of itching may reflect skin disease, internal disease, or emotional disease. Although itching is symptomatic of many inflammatory and psychophysiologic dermatoses, in atopic dermatitis it is a cardinal feature of the disease. Effective control of itching can go a long way towards controlling the eruption itself; it can also make a major contribution to the physical and emotional well-being of the patient and the patient's total environment.