Post-Burn Pruritus and Its Management—Current and New Avenues for Treatment

Purpose of Review: This article seeks to review the current literature on post-burn pruritus and its treatments, as well as to propose new treatments that may be of potential benefit for these patients. Recent Findings: Post-burn pruritus has been reported to affect as many as 93% of patients after a burn injury. Pruritus is extremely distressing to these patients, yet the current state of treatment, mostly antihistamines and emollients, is still widely ineffective in providing relief of itch. Summary: Therapies that are effective in treating pruritus and that may act as superior treatment options for patients suffering from post-burn pruritus include gabapentin and pregabalin, topical ketamine-lidocaine-amitriptyline, opioid medications, neurokinin-1 inhibitors, antidepressants, anti-cytokines, PAR-2 inhibitors, and botulinum toxin among others.