Seasonal variation in ambulatory visits for common itching diseases

Abstract

Seasonal variation in Google searches for “itch” has been previously observed. There are also a seasonal difference in visits for the symptom of itch. The largest number of these visits occurs in summer and the lowest occurs in winter. We examined the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to identify if this trend is consistent for the most common itching diseases. The only diseases that demonstrated seasonal variation in ambulatory visits were vaginitis and vulvovaginitis (P=0.002), rash and other nonspecific skin eruption (P=0.002), and contact dermatitis due to plants (P<0.001). Our results demonstrate that seasonal variation in itch is not universal for all diseases, and it does not occur for many of the most common diseases.