Analyzing Predictors of Itch Intensity: A Study of Healthy Individuals and Chronic Itch Patients

The test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). To identify multiple predictors of experimental itch intensity in healthy individuals and chronic patients, a linear regression analysis was conducted. When experimental itch intensity score served as the dependent variable, a stepwise selection of ISQ, BDI, SAI, TAI, and PSQ scores was performed as independent variables, while controlling for age and gender. Similarly, when itch intensity in patients served as the dependent variable, a stepwise selection of ISQ, BDI, SAI, TAI, and POEM scores was conducted, while also controlling for age and gender. To examine differences in ISQ scores between healthy individuals and patients, a nonparametric covariance analysis was used, as the ISQ scores of chronic itch patients do not follow a normal distribution.