Effect of topical vitamin D on chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus: An open-label pilot study

Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is a troublesome symptom in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Recently, vitamin D deficiency has been known to be one of the possible etiologic factors in CKD-aP. However, limited data is available on whether topical vitamin D treatment is effective for relieving CKD-aP. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of topically vitamin D for CKD-aP. Twenty-three patients with CKD-aP were enrolled in a single center, open-label study. Patients were instructed to apply a topical vitamin D (calcipotriol) agent (Daivonex solution; LEO Pharma) or vehicle solution twice daily for a month. We assessed the efficacy and safety of topical vitamin D on CKD-aP using clinical and dermoscopic photographs, and questionnaires including the validated modified pruritus assessment score (VMPAS) and visual analog scale (VAS) every 2 weeks. Dry dermoscopic findings showed significant improvement of scale (dryness) on the skin of topical vitamin D-treated patients compared with those of the vehicle group. Both VMPAS and VAS were significantly decreased after 2 and 4 weeks of the topical vitamin D treatment compared with the vehicle, respectively (P < 0.05). No significant side-effects were observed. Topical vitamin D may be one of the safe and effective therapeutic candidates for CKD-aP.