These three skin diseases most commonly cause pain. More than 90% of middle-aged and elderly patients with skin diseases in my country will experience pain and itching.
Yesterday was the "National Skin Care Day". The "Skin Health, Pain and Itch Matter" science popularization activity initiated by the Health Newspaper and supported by the China Elderly Care Association released the "Clinical Observation Questionnaire and Interview Results of "Pain" and "itch" Skin Diseases in Middle-aged and Elderly People " shows that more than 90% of middle-aged and elderly patients with skin diseases will suffer from pain or itching, and the probability of skin pain and itching is much higher than that of other groups of people. The three skin diseases that commonly cause pain are: herpes zoster, cutaneous neuralgia, and hair follicle and soft tissue infection. The three skin diseases that cause itching are mainly eczema, atopic dermatitis, and urticaria. In addition, more than 80% of dermatologists believe that compared with ordinary people, elderly people with chronic diseases experience more intense skin pain and itching after suffering from skin diseases.
Skin is the body's first line of defense. The prevalence of skin diseases in my country is as high as 40% to 70%. Skin pain and itching cause troubles to many people's lives. The "Interview Results" released this time brought together more than 700 dermatologists across the country to participate in the questionnaire survey, and also invited dermatology expert teams from five regions across the country to participate in interviews or reviews.
As age increases, the skin barrier of middle-aged and elderly people gradually becomes weaker, and they are more susceptible to external stimulation, causing skin aging, bacterial and viral infections and other problems. They are at a higher risk of suffering from various skin diseases. Skin pain and itching have a serious impact on the healthy life of middle-aged and elderly people. Among them, affecting sleep, long-lasting pain and itching, and seriously affecting daily life are the three main clinical complaints of middle-aged and elderly patients. Cui Yong, deputy director and director of the dermatology department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, emphasized: "Itching or pain on the skin may be an early warning signal from the human body for diseases. For example, itching may be related to eczema, psoriasis and other diseases, while skin pain may be related to diseases such as eczema and psoriasis. There is a potential link to herpes zoster.”
Middle-aged and elderly people are more likely to have itchy skin than young people. Why is this? Sheng Yujun, teaching director and deputy chief physician of the Department of Dermatology of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, said that on the one hand, middle-aged and elderly people are prone to dry skin due to hypofunction of sebaceous glands, just like the exterior of a wall. Long-term dryness coupled with ultraviolet radiation, etc., will damage the skin structure. Destroy, causing irritation of skin nerve endings, leading to skin itching. On the other hand, as the immunity of middle-aged and elderly people gradually declines, the risk of contracting herpes zoster gradually increases. The "Interview Results" also show that the skin pain caused by herpes zoster varies greatly from individual to individual. The duration of post-herpetic neuralgia in middle-aged and elderly people is often calculated in months or even years, which seriously affects the psychology and quality of life of patients and their families.
Although pain and itching caused by skin diseases are unbearable for many middle-aged and elderly people, when faced with pain and itching, most middle-aged and elderly people still ignore early diagnosis, treatment and prevention, use their own medicines at their discretion, stop or reduce medicines on their own, and rely on folk remedies. These four cognitive misunderstandings. Experts finally reminded that the skin is an important immune organ of the human body. It is particularly important to repair and manage the skin well and restore the skin's immune barrier function. For example, a healthy lifestyle, proper exercise, and keeping a relaxed mood can help protect the skin's immune barrier function and improve its ability to resist the invasion of foreign pathogens. In addition, vaccination is an effective measure to prevent disease.