Wet dressings used with topical corticosteroids for pruritic dermatoses: A retrospective study

Background. Wet dressings are a mainstay for initial management of pruritic adult dermatoses at Mayo Clinic, yet few recent reports describe their effectiveness for pruritic conditions other than atopic dermatitis in children. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of wet dressings for pruritic dermatoses. Methods: This is a retrospective study of adult patients admitted to our inpatient dermatology service between January 1, 2004, and August 31, 2007, treated with wet dressings and topical corticosteroids. Improvement was evaluated I day after admission and at dismissal. Results: Three hundred thirty-one patients with pruritus (54 unique diagnoses) had 391 admissions. Improvement was reported for 146 (94%) of 156 admissions at I day after admission and for 351 (98%) of 357 admissions at dismissal. Limitations: Retrospective nature of study. Conclusions: Wet dressings effectively alleviate recalcitrant pruritic dermatoses in adults. The lack of published reports on this treatment method suggests that wet dressings are underused. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;60:792-800.)