Hello Dr. McGowan, I am 30 year old male, have been positive for 2 years and a half, not taking meds yet, feeling good all the time and my last blood test (3 weeks ago) cd4 were 690. Last 2 weeks I have extreme itching over my skin on chest, arms, thigs and especially belly. What could be the reason for this? What would you recommend for this, I really can`t stand this, sometimes can`t sleep over night... No any changes on the skin, just itching. I tried hydrant creme without result. Thanks for all your work here.

Thanks for your question and the compliment.

It woould be very difficult to know the cause of the itching without seeing if there was a rash.

Common reasons for thsi might be an allergy (or contact dermatitis). There may be some new exposure in your environment, such as a new detergent or a pet.

Also exposure to bed bugs or scabies would be a possibility (this is really going around, especially if you travel in hotels or live in a city).

Liver and kidney problems may also lead to itching over the body.

It would be best to see your doctor to get a complete exam and have some bloods done to identify the most common rreasons. This kind of itching (called EPF or eosiniphilic pustular folliculitis can be seen with HIV, but usually with much lower CD4 counts than you have).

Good luck, Joe