Definition
This is the itchy or pruriceptive sensation (from the Latin word prurire, to itch) evoked by a stimulus that is normally non-pruriceptive („allo“, and „knesis“, an ancient Greek word for itching), also referred to as “itchy skin”. For example, a light stroking of the skin normally evokes the sensation of touch, and perhaps tickle, but not itch. However, when cutaneous alloknesis develops within the vicinity of a mosquito bite, or is present in an area of dermatitis, a light stroking of the skin can evoke an itch or exacerbate an ongoing itch.
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© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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(2007). Alloknesis. In: Schmidt, R., Willis, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pain. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_157
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_157
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-43957-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29805-2
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