By clothing-bag, 20/03/2022

Itching in the scrotum at night: what can they be due to?

Blas, reader and member of eldiario.es, asks us the following question by email: "A few months ago my scrotum and pubic area have started to itch at night, which can be really unbearable. In fact after scratching my skin is white and partially scaly. I thought maybe it's fungus that I caught in the pool where I swim almost every day".

Blas is already giving us several clues about the problem that he is suffering and that is known, according to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, as genital itching, in this case scrotal. It is a disorder that is reflected in itching in the scrotum, the skin of the testicles, and that can be caused by many factors. According to these factors it is classified as acute or chronic. The acute is punctual and passes when the causative factor is counterattacked. The chronic, on the other hand, is maintained over time and has more complex causes and remedies.

Causes of acute scrotal itching

According to the aforementioned Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, some of these factors may be:

Picores en el escroto por la noche: ¿a qué pueden deberse?

It is possible that Blas's itching is caused by one of these factors considered by the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, given that he goes to a swimming pool, which implies humidity but also dry skin due to chlorine or ozone. In that case, trying to dry the scrotum well, applying plenty of cream at night and washing the genitals properly, without aggressive soaps, the itching will surely decrease. However, it may be that its casuistry is due to some of the factors that identify chronic scrotal itching.

Causes of chronic scrotal itching

Another matter is the one that occurs when the itching is permanent and does not lessen with the remedies mentioned above, nor with an effective identification by a dermatologist who rules out the presence of scabies, which has a specific treatment and is not very frequent either, or mushroom good. In these cases, two main causes of the persistence of pruritus have been pointed out.

The first is an autoimmune reaction of unknown origin, which may have emotional promoters due to serotonin deficiency, that is, in one way or another they are caused by a stress situation. In these cases, administration of fluoxetine (Prozac) has been shown to reduce chronic itching. Also the topical use of immunosuppressive drugs, such as tacrolimus, gave good results.

The second cause that is pointed out is an irritative lesion of the genito-crural nerve, which comes through the inguinal canal from the second lumbar nerve. Thus, cases linked to a herniated disc or an inguinal hernia have been described. It also points to an irritation of the ilioinguinal nerve that reaches the back of the scrotum from the first lumbar nerve.

If you don't want to miss any of our articles, subscribe to our newsletters

subscribe to our newsletters

Tags: