Current Status and Treatment Strategies of Hemodialysis-Associated Pruritus.

Current Status and Treatment Strategies of Hemodialysis-Associated Pruritus. Contrib Nephrol. 2018;196:88-95 Authors: Takahashi N, Yoshizawa T, Tsuchiya S Abstract BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis-associated pruritus (HAP) is often treatment-resistant, and is a serious comorbidity that adversely affects prognosis and reduces patient quality of life through sleep disruption and depression. SUMMARY: HAP can arise from a combination of several causes; accordingly, it is often resistant to treatment. HAP patients need the specific causes of their itching to be identified, with a comprehensive approach to treatment. We have implemented our own therapeutic algorithm, which covers cause specification, for HAP since June 2009. This resulted in a significantly decreased proportion of patients with itching (2016 vs. 2009: 77.3 vs. 96.6%), accompanied by a significant decrease in median visual analogue scale itching score (2016 vs. 2009: 21.0 vs. 53.0 mm), for patients treated for itching at our facility in October 2016. Key Messages: HAP patients need the causes of their itching to be specified, and to be treated with a comprehensive approach. Alleviation of itching is anticipated to improve patient quality of life and prognosis. PMID: 30041210 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Contributions to Nephrology - Category: Urology & Nephrology Tags: Contrib Nephrol Source Type: research