Association of high-sensitive C-reactive protein and dialysis adequacy with uremic pruritus

Uremic pruritus is a difficult symptom in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients, and its patho-physiological mechanism remains unknown. To determine the relationship between pruritus and C-reactive protein as well as dialysis adequacy among the HD patients, we studied 241 chronic HD patients in Shiraz dialysis centers, Iran. The patients were selected by convenient sampling and the data were collected using a checklist, interview and lab tests. The mean age of our patients was 53.9 ± 16.3 years and 128 (53.1%) of them were male. There were 97 (40.2%) patients who complained of pruritus. A significant association was found between high-sensitive C-reactive protein and pruritus (P = 0.004). Also, a significant positive relationship was observed between pruritus and dialysis adequacy (P <0.001). Our results suggested a correlation between the inflammatory reaction and pruritus. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between dialysis adequacy and pruritus. A better understanding of the factors implicated in the cause of uremic pruritus is essential in the development of more-effective treatments and improved quality of life in HD patients.