Wet dressings used with topical corticosteroids for pruritic dermatoses: A retrospective study

Background

Wet dressings are a mainstay for initial management of pruritic adult dermatoses at Mayo Clinic, yet few recent reports describe their effectiveness for pruritic conditions other than atopic dermatitis in children.

Objective

To examine the effectiveness of wet dressings for pruritic dermatoses.

Methods

This is a retrospective study of adult patients admitted to our inpatient dermatology service between January 1, 2004, and August 31, 2007, treated with wet dressings and topical corticosteroids. Improvement was evaluated 1 day after admission and at dismissal.

Results

Three hundred thirty-one patients with pruritus (54 unique diagnoses) had 391 admissions. Improvement was reported for 146 (94%) of 156 admissions at 1 day after admission and for 351 (98%) of 357 admissions at dismissal.

Limitations

Retrospective nature of study.

Conclusions

Wet dressings effectively alleviate recalcitrant pruritic dermatoses in adults. The lack of published reports on this treatment method suggests that wet dressings are underused.

Key words: corticosteroids, dermatitis, pruritus, skin diseases