New insight into chronic pruritus’ characteristics and association with the demographic characteristics and sleep of community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan

This study aimed to understand the characteristics of chronic pruritus (CP), its correlations with sleep quality and demographic characteristics, and its impacts on sleep of older adults. This study used convenience sampling to recruit adults aged 65 or older and living at home. The prevalence rate of CP in older adults was 25.8%. Most subjects with CP reported mild pruritus on 1-2 anatomical parts, especially the lower extremities. Overall, the five domains of CP were correlated with the seven components of sleep quality (r > .14; p > .05) except for sleep disturbance. The global itchy scores were significantly different between different sexes, educational attainments, and marital statuses (p<.05-.001). CP, sex, and the number of comorbid diseases significantly contributed to global sleep quality (β = .26, -.19, .15, respectively; .000 ≤ p ≤ .011). This study provides new insight into the correlations of CP with marital status and educational attainment.