Pruritus or itchy skin is a feeling that is the irritating or uncontrollable sensation that you need to scratch. The itchiness could be because of skin condition or internal illness. It is important to check with the doctor to find out the cause to get proper treatment.

Causes for itching
There are more than 30 reasons why your skin itches. A few are listed below.

Dry skin appears cracked and scaly which causes itching. It is common on the abdomen, arms, and legs.

Food allergy is a medical emergency and urgent care is required in many cases. This happens when the immune system reacts to the food or drink that is ingested. The symptoms can range from mild to severe and these include breathing difficulty, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, hives, rashes, swelling, itchy eyes, and sneezing. The symptoms of an allergic reaction can occur immediately or over a period of time. Common foods that trigger allergies like soy, wheat, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, peanuts, eggs, and cow’s milk.

End-stage renal disease is an autoimmune disease which displays a variety of symptoms which affect various organs and body systems. Skin and mucous membrane symptoms like rashes and ulcers. A butterfly rash occurs on the nose that touches both the cheeks. They become worse after being exposed to the sun.

Candida is a skin problem which occurs in the skin folds like between the toes, between the fingers, under the breasts, buttocks, and armpits. It starts with a burning red rash that looks wet and has dry crusting. It also stings and itches. This becomes worse the rash cracks; there is sore skin, the skin blisters, and pustules, which may be infected with bacteria.

Biliary or bile duct obstruction is regarded as a medical emergency where urgent care is required. This is caused by gallstones and may cause injury to the gallbladder or liver, cysts, infections, tumors, and inflammation. The other symptoms shown are very dark urine, light-colored stools, itchy skin without rash, a yellow tinge of the skin or eyes, fever, vomiting, nausea, and pain in the upper right side of the abdomen. Obstruction can lead to serious infection requiring urgent medical attention

Cirrhosis causes the belly to swell up, there is weight loss, and has decreased appetite, and diarrhea. You also easy bleed and bruise. The blood vessels are visible underneath the skin and appear like spider-shaped. The skin appears yellow and the eyes and the skin start to itch.

Ragweed allergy causes pressure on the sinus, making throat feel sore and scratchy, have a runny nose, sneezing and feel the nose as congested. The eyes are also watery and itchy.

Diaper rash is warm to touch and looks wet, red and irritated. The rash is located in an area which is in constant contact with the diaper.

Allergic reaction comes on suddenly causing difficulty in breathing and swelling. The skin turns red, itchy and may appear scaly and many hours after skin come in contact with an allergen. This is a medical emergency and requires urgent care.

Other well-known skin problems related to itching are athlete’s foot, contact dermatitis, among others.

You may require undergoing tests to determine what is causing the itching. The test includes a blood test, test to determine the thyroid functions, skin test, biopsy or scraping of the skin. Once the cause for the itch is found it can be treated. It could be due to an infection or a disease. It is important to deal with the underlying problem to relieve the itch completely.