Prevalence and Association of Pruritus and its Current Treatment during the First Year of Dialysis

What is it about?

Itchiness (pruritus) is a common problem for people who are on dialysis, a treatment for kidney failure. This itching can lower their quality of life and make it hard to sleep. However, we don’t fully understand why it happens, and there are limited treatments available. In this study, we looked at people who had recently started dialysis to learn more about how often they experienced itching, how severe it was, and what treatments they received. We followed these patients over their first year of dialysis to see how the itchiness changed and whether the treatments helped. We found that around half of patients experienced itching during their first year of dialysis. About a third had constant itching, while another third had itching that came and went. Only a quarter of these patients received treatment for their itching, but these treatments did not seem to make a big difference. The itching was also linked to lower physical and mental health, meaning it affected both the body and the mind. Unfortunately, the treatments currently available didn’t seem to improve these patients' quality of life. This study highlights the need for doctors to be more aware of this problem and for researchers to develop better treatments for dialysis-related itching.

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