Pruritus ani – colloquially called anal itching – (synonyms: anal pruritus; anal pruritus; ICD-10 L29.0: Pruritus ani) describes itching of the skin in the perianal region (“around the anal opening”).
Acute pruritus ani is distinguished from chronic pruritus ani (> 3 months). Further classification of pruritus ani can be made according to skin findings:
- Pruritus cum materia – itching with visible skin changes; accompanying skin diseases [most common case].
- Pruritus sine materia – itching without visible skin changes, which may indicate an endogenous disease.
Sex ratio: males are more commonly affected than females; in a proctological patient population, the ratio is 4: 1.
Frequency peak: the disease occurs clustered between the 20th and 50th year of life (proctological patient collective).
The prevalence of chronic pruritus ani in a proctological patient collective is up to 60 % (in Germany).
Course and prognosis: The pruritus (itching) is experienced by the affected person as extremely unpleasant to agonizing. As a rule, pruritus ani is harmless. Elimination of the cause also usually causes the pruritus to disappear.
