RESUMO
The classical description of psoriasis does not include any of the subjective symptoms that accompany skin manifestations (pruritus, burning, tingling, pain), which is surprising especially for pruritus, a symptom present in the majority of patients with this disease, in a variable proportion between 60% and more than 90%. For the last two decades, the scientific interest for this symptom has increased. Many studies are evaluating the potential positive effect of various classes of drugs. No therapy is totally free of side effects. Psoriasis is an indication of the thermal treatment. The thermal water from Avène Hydrotherapy Center is known for its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, as shown by many scientific studies. In this context, from the year 2016, in the Thermal Center, we studied the prevalence and characteristics of pruritus in patients with psoriasis, who came for a thermal treatment, but also the effect of hydrotherapy. In 2016, a study based on a dedicated questionnaire, administered at the entrance of the thermal station, revealed the presence of pruritus for 92% of patients who responded. In the period 2017-2018, the evaluation of pruritus associated with psoriasis on a numerical scale, in parallel with the evaluation of the severity of the disease by the thermal physician, showed the improvement of the psoriatic pruritus by 42% after the hydrotherapy cure. Recent results suggest that treatment in Avène Hydrotherapy Center might be considered for managing psoriasis accompanied by subjective symptoms, especially pruritus. © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.