Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for reduction of pruritus in macular amyloidosis and lichen simplex

Abstract

Lichen simplex (LS) is characterized by circumscribed, lichenified, pruritic patches that may develop on any part of the body. Macular amyloidosis (MA) is the form of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses a pulsed electric current generated transcutaneously by a device to cause impulses to be carried along large-diameter afferent nerves. In this article, we report the effects of TENS on the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) measures and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores in patients with pruritus, in whom LS and MA were diagnosed. All patients with MA and six (75%) patients with LS had relief of their pruritus with TENS therapy. At week 2, there was a significant difference in median VAS scores between baseline in the group of LS (P = 0.007). At 4 weeks of therapy, statistically significant differences were observed compared with the baseline and week 2 in the median VAS scores in the group of MA (P < 0.001). There was also a statistically significant improvement in median DLQI total scores with respect to baseline, which was achieved as early as week 2 in patients with LS and MA who were on the TENS treatment (P = 0.006, P = 0.001, respectively).