Itching is a nasty irritating sensation on the skin. Nerves are stimulated and give a signal to the brain: you experience itching.
Itching can range from mildly tickling symptoms to severe and persistent itching. Scratching usually makes no sense, but is often an uncontrollable habit that results from itching. Discover More You may or may not have a rash with itching.
What are possible causes of itching?
There are all kinds of itching, and all kinds of different possible causes. Itching can be a completely harmless skin irritation. An incentive that comes one moment and is gone a few seconds later.
it may be that you have a wound or bump and that it itches a bit, or that there is a red rash that causes itching;
it may also be that you have a (food) allergy that is accompanied by itching;
stress can cause itching;
if the kidneys or liver are not functioning properly, you may get itchy;
hormonal changes such as pregnancy or menopause can also cause itching;
fungal infections or bacterial infections;
Below you can read more about different types of itching and different causes of itching.
Itching due to an allergy
If you are allergic, your immune system reacts violently to harmless substances. An allergic reaction occurs. This can manifest itself in, among other things, a runny nose or a swollen throat, but also, for example, itchy eyes, itchy skin or itchy palate.
The itching can be caused in response to:
certain food. A food allergy or intolerance can also cause itching. Eczema with itching and bumps can sometimes decrease with dietary adjustments. Research from the University of York found that 76% of people who followed a specific diet had fewer symptoms such as itching, acne and fatigue. So it is very worthwhile to delve into this and discuss it with your doctor;
pollen ( hay fever );
chemical substances or other materials; think of a reaction to your watch strap or an allergy to your detergent.
Itching due to athlete’s foot
In the case of athlete’s foot there is a fungal infection of the skin and / or nails of the feet. A fungal infection of the feet also has itching as the main symptom.
Itching due to bugs or insects
Itching due to mosquitoes: a mosquito bump can itch considerably. Mosquito females stab people for their blood the moment they need proteins to produce eggs. Before they suck up the blood, they first inject an anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting immediately if it comes outside of the body. This anticoagulant causes an allergic reaction in the skin. This results in the itchy mosquito bump;
Itching of flea bites. The bite of a flea can be very itchy. Fleas are mainly found in pets such as dogs and cats. But when for some reason the dog or cat is not available for the fleas present in the house, these critters sometimes want to offend people;
Itching from head lice or pubic lice: small bugs in your hair that actually don’t belong there can cause itching. There is a lot of head lice especially among children in schools. Children play together and the itchy animals spread quickly with itch on the head as the main complaint.