Chronic itch induced by thalamic deep brain stimulation: a case for a central itch centre.

Background: Central itch syndrome has been previously described in conditions such as stroke. The neurophysiology of central itch syndrome has been investigated in non-human primates but remains incompletely understood.

Methods: We report an observational study of a rare case of severe central itch following thalamic deep brain stimulation and postulate the location of the central itch centre in humans.

Cutaneous manifestations of infections: an update for general physicians.

Infection rashes can present in a number of different ways, some giving a reactive pattern in the skin to infection elsewhere in the body, while others reflect infection within the affected skin itself. Recognising the possible systemic symptoms, characteristic distribution and morphology of rashes can lead to a high degree of accuracy in making a clinical diagnosis in the clinic room/at the bedside that can be confirmed with a few simple laboratory tests.