Brachioradial Pruritus: Treatment with Topical Capsaicin

The document discusses Brachioradial pruritus (BRP), an uncommon pruritic dermatosis without visible skin changes, often associated with chronic sun exposure or cervical nerve root involvement. Two case reports are presented where patients with BRP experienced rapid relief from pruritus after treatment with topical capsaicin. The first case involved a 60-year-old man with a 6-month history of pruritus over the brachioradialis muscle, which resolved in 2 weeks with capsaicin treatment. The second case was a 50-year-old woman with a 2.5-year history of pruritus, whose symptoms were controlled within 2 weeks of capsaicin treatment and maintained with once-weekly applications. The document suggests that capsaicin, which depletes substance P from cutaneous nerve endings, may be useful in treating BRP, regardless of the underlying cause, whether it is sun exposure or neurologic damage.