Daniel Butler, MD, a Leader in Geriatric Dermatology, Says Focus on the Overlap in the Etiology of Itch in Older Adults
AAD 2025: Tracing the multiple pathways that contribute to chronic itch vs looking for a singular cause helps optimize choice of therapy, Butler says.
"So aging is this wonderful challenge because it sort of gets us out of our overly simplistic linear thinking and makes us think more about how this inevitable process influences some of these linear systems."
Daniel Butler, MD, is associate professor of medicine at the College of Medicine Tucson, University of Arizona where he is also director of the Inflammatory & Aging Skin Research Program.
Butler is recognized as a pioneer in the space of geriatric dermatology, and he sat down with Patient Care during the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology Meeting, March 7-11, in Orlando, FL, to talk about the importance of looking at the overlap of factors contributing to any disease, but particularly diseases in older adults. He focused on his approach to treating itch in aging adults and how consideration of the overlap among immune system, primary cutaneous, and neuropathic factors guides his approach to choice of therapy.
For more conversations with Daniel Butler, MD, at the 2025 AAD Annual Meeting:
The Link Between Itch and Aging, with Daniel Butler, MD
Daniel Butler, MD: Pearls for Primary Care When Treating and Referring Older Adults for Chronic Itch
