What are the Possible Causes of Itchy Skin?

What Causes Itchy Skin?

Itchy skin can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnose your symptoms now!

check your overall health status
have a doctor review your case (optional)
identify any nutritional deficiencies

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose itchy skin, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "itchy skin" as a symptom. Here are eight possibilities (more below):

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Aspartame/Neotame Side-Effects
Cirrhosis Of The Liver
Chronic Renal Insufficiency
Kidney Disease
Electrical Hypersensitivity
Liver Function Testing Need
Psoriasis

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

deep chest pain

occasional confusion/disorientation

chest tightness

occasional unexplained fevers

moderate left lumbar pain

frequent unexplained vomiting

having lost many adult teeth

pale facial coloring

very low TIBC

facial flushing

severe emotional instability

hiccups

... and more than 80 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of itchy skin:

Cause	Probability	Status
Chronic Renal Insufficiency	91%	Confirm
Aspartame/Neotame Side-Effects	17%	Unlikely
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma	13%	Unlikely
Psoriasis	2%	Ruled out
Liver Function Testing Need	2%	Ruled out
Electrical Hypersensitivity	0%	Ruled out
Cirrhosis Of The Liver	0%	Ruled out
Kidney Disease	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

In the Skin-Related Symptoms section of the questionnaire, The Analyst™ will ask the following question about itchy skin:

Does your skin tend to itch often, perhaps worse at night?

Possible responses:

→ No / don't know
→ Moderately
→ Severely

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate itchy skin, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Aspartame/Neotame Side-Effects

Chronic Renal Insufficiency

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Some people with liver or biliary cirrhosis experience intense itching due to bile products that are deposited in the skin.

Electrical Hypersensitivity

Kidney Disease

Excessively dry, persistently itchy skin is a possible symptom of kidney disease.

Liver Detoxification / Support Requirement

Liver Function Test Requirement

The reason why patients with liver disease itch is not known, although it is commonly believed that some substances accumulate in the blood as a result of a poorly functioning liver and thus cause itching. A simple blood test can exclude liver disease as a cause for the itching, as liver enzymes are often elevated with liver involvement.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Psoriasis

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™