A case of chronic pruritus developing at a noninjured nerve area in a patient with spinal cord injury: Role of protein gene product 9.5

Abstract

Abstract A patient in her 60s with spinal cord injury developed pruriginous lesion only in a nerve‐noninjured area, although erythema resulting from scratching was also prominent in a nerve‐injured lesion. The area of protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5)‐positive nerve fibres within the nerve‐injured lesion was significantly reduced compared with the nerve‐noninjured area. This case suggests an essential role for PGP 9.5‐positive nerve fibres in the development of chronic pruritus.

Keywords

• nerve injury
• PGP9.5
• pruritus
• spinal cord injury
• urticaria