Prevalence of uremic pruritus in chronic kidney patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Uremic pruritus is a common and troublesome symptom of chronic kidney disease. It is one of the dominant dermatological manifestations of chronic kidney disease which affects the quality of life of patients. Objective: To assess the prevalence and severity of uremic pruritus in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Methodology: A prospective cross-sectional study was done over three months among chronic kidney patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis to show the association of mineral bone disorders with uremic pruritus. Patients complaining of pruritus were taken as cases and then pruritus was quantifi ed using a Visual Analogue Scale. Results: 144 patients participated in this study, out of which 41 (28.47%) were females. Mean age was 54.97±9.75 years and 68.06% patients were on dialysis. Uremic pruritus was seen in 80 patients (55.56%), amongst them 23 patients (28.75 %) had severe pruritus as measured by Visual Analogue Scale.Uremic pruritus was more frequent and more severe in patients having higher serum phosphorus levels (p =0.004). Conclusion: This study further substantiates the need of adequate control of phosphorus levels in hemodialysis patients to reduce complications like uremic pruritus.

The association between CKD-associated pruritus and quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Pakistan

“…[28–30] However, other studies found no association with age of patient and CKD-associated pruritus. [31,32] In our study we found significant association between duration of suffering CKD and CKD-associated pruritus but in literature review we could not find any association between them; however, significant association is reported between CKD-associated pruritus and serum levels of parathormone (PTH), [28,33] blood urea nitrogen (BUN), [28,34,35] serum calcium, [28,36] hyperphosphatemia, [28] hypertension [37] and diabetes. [38] CKD-associated pruritus can adversely affect the medical outcomes and the quality of life of patients.…”

association between CKD-associated pruritus and quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis presenting to nephrology division, Khyber teaching hospital Peshawar

“…The dialysis equipment was limited in our research, and inadequate dialysis was caused by pressure from too many patients. Similar studies by Adhikari et al revealed the same problem of growing patient numbers and insufficient hemodialysis equipment [23]. The dialysis's increased frequency and duration improve the QOL of individuals, which reduces their odds of death [24].…”

Uremic Pruritus and associated factors in Chronic Dialysis Patients: An Observational Study in Western Nepal

“…An earlier study reported the global prevalence of uremic pruritus (moderate or extreme) to be 42%, and also suggested asignificant associa on of uremic pruritus with depression, sleeping disorders, impaired 3 quality of life and death. In Nepal, the prevalence of pruritus among chronic kidney disease pa ents undergoing dialysis 4,5 was es mated to be 40-55%. Even though since long me evidence exists for the rela onship between chronic renal failure and pruritus, its molecular basis remains controversial, considering the subjec ve nature and strong influence of psychological 6 factors.…”