EADV Task Force Pruritus
Mission
The Pruritus Task Force advocates for chronic pruritus to be recognised as a serious, high-burden medical condition in Europe
The Task Force’s mission is to improve care, advance research, and set high standards in pruritus medicine.
The aim is to support evidence-based policy, harmonise standards of care, and strengthen research and data infrastructure to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities in pruritus management across European healthcare systems.
Pruritus Task Force promotes collaboration, scientific excellence, and patient-centered approaches to better understand, treat, and prevent chronic pruritus and chronic prurigo.
The Pruritus Task Force works to translate scientific progress into better care for patients with chronic itch and chronic prurigo across Europe.
Key initiatives:
- Integrate and expand the Task Force network including experts from dermatology but also other disciplines, strengthening collaboration between pruritus centers throughout Europe
- Assess the level of care for pruritus patients in dermatology clinics and hospitals, identifying gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and guideline implementation
- Conduct European-wide scientific studies on validation of questionnaires, scales and scores including endpoints in itch assessment and releasing corresponding consensus papers on chronic pruritus and prurigo
- Update and implement the European Guideline on Chronic Pruritus and contribute to the global guideline on prurigo
- Develop and refine definitions, terminology, severity criteria, and treat-to-target concepts for chronic pruritus and chronic prurigo
- Establish and expand the Registry for Pruritus and Prurigo to improve clinical data collection
- Apply for EU research grants to support clinical trials and innovation
- Support and organise advanced educational programmes such as the EADV Itch Fostering Course and on-demand digital learning resources
- Promote patient education initiatives, digital tools, and awareness activities across Europe
Through research, education, guideline development, and collaboration, this Task Force helps setting healthcare standards and improving outcomes for patients suffering from chronic itch.
Task Force composition
- Chair: Sonja Ständer, Germany
- Co-chair: Evangelia Papadavid, Greece
- Co-chair: Adam Reich, Poland
- Valeria Aoki, Brazil
- Matthias Augustin, Germany
- Anthony Bewley, UK
- Svetlana Bobko, Russia
- Emilie Brenaut, France
- Jesper Elberling, Denmark
- Ignasi Figueras Nart, Spain
- Simone Garcovich, Italy
- Maria-Angeliki Gkini, UK
- Margarida Gonçalo, Portugal
- Jon Anders Halvorsen, Norway
- Julia Hinterseher, Germany
- Alan Irvine, Ireland
- Dimitra Koumaki, Greece
- Jörg Kupfer, Germany
- Julien Lambert, Belgium
- Raquel Leão Orfali, Brazil
- Franz Legat, Austria
- Chen Lihong, China
- Louise Lönndahl, Sweden
- Andrey Lvov, Russia
- Angelo Valerio Marzano, Italy
- Martin Metz, Germany
- Anna Michenko, Russia
- Laurent Misery, France
- Asit Mittal, India
- Simon Müller, Switzerland
- Manuel Pereira, Germany
- Constanza Riquelme Mc Loughlin, Spain
- Svenja Royeck, Germany
- Ekin Savk, Turkey
- Christina Schut, Germany
- Esther Serra Baldrich, Spain
- Hartmut Ständer, Germany
- Aleksandra Stefaniak, Poland
- Jacek Szepietowski, Poland
- Claudia Tirziu, Romania
- Elke Weisshaar, Germany
- Karsten Weller, Germany
- Claudia Zeidler, Germany