Deciphering the enigma of itch sensation: insights and impact from a readability study

Abstract Background Itch terminology is ambiguous. How itch was described in online materials and how terminology influenced the readability of these materials was previously unknown. Materials and methods Two groups of search terms, itch and prurigo, were translated into five of the most prevalent European Union (EU) languages. The itch group consisted of “itch” and “pruritus.” The prurigo group consisted of “prurigo,” “prurigo nodularis,” and “chronic prurigo”. Then, a search of the terms in each language was queried in the Google search engine in the private mode of the Internet browser. The first 50 results generated were assessed for suitability. Patient education was the primary objective of the materials provided, with no barriers or advertisements included. In cases where the terms yielded identical outcomes, any duplicated materials were omitted from the analysis. When translating search terms within a group led to just one shared transcription, the results were attributed to the search term with the most similar syntax. The Lix score was utilized to assess readability. Results 314 articles in English, German, Italian, French, and Spanish were evaluated. The term “pruritus” was the most commonly used description for the sensation of itching, with 142 (45%) articles included. Overall, the mean Lix score was 54 ± 9, classifying all articles as hard to comprehend. Articles in the itch group had significantly ( P < 0.001) lower mean Lix score (52 ± 9) than materials in the prurigo group (56 ± 10). Conclusions Despite being more accessible to conceptualize, skin conditions such as prurigo had lower readability compared to information about the itch itself. The distinction between “itch” and “pruritus” was unclear.