Living with systemic sclerosis: Prevalence of itch and other skin symptoms and their association with psychosocial issues

J Health Psychol. 2025 Jul 30:13591053251342549. doi: 10.1177/13591053251342549. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease that significantly impacts physical and psychosocial health. This study assessed skin symptoms in 126 SSc patients from a dermatological hospital Italy, using the items from the Skindex-29 for all symptoms and psychosocial variables. Multivariate logistic regression and attributable risk among the exposed (ARexp) were used for analysis. Pain (74.0%), burning (62.1%), and water irritation (52.4%) were the most reported symptoms. Older patients (≥58 years; mean age = 58.7, SD = 12.01) and those with severe disease reported higher symptom frequencies. Water irritation strongly predicted shame (OR 21.3) and frustration (OR 5.8), with ARexp indicating that alleviating water-related discomfort could reduce shame by 95.3%, frustration by 82.8%, and tiredness by 92.1%. Pain and itch were linked to depression and sleep loss. Findings highlight the significant psychosocial burden of SSc skin symptoms, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to improve both physical and mental health outcomes.

PMID:40735773 | DOI:10.1177/13591053251342549