An unpleasant sensation that elicits the desire or the reflex to scratch is how itch has been classically defined. Scratching does help ward off that insect which is troubling you; but pruritus (as itch is called) that persists for longer than six weeks is a pathological state with profound effects on the health, physical and mental, of one in seven persons. Ongoing research has uncovered a wide range of mechanisms underlying what appears to be a single condition.
Read more at https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/when-it-itches-you-scratch/article38275284.ece/amp/
Read more at https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/when-it-itches-you-scratch/article38275284.ece/amp/