Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Pruritus in Patients on Home Haemodialysis

Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus is a common and distressing symptom in people with chronic kidney disease and is linked to increased mortality. Home haemodialysis is associated with a number of benefits compared to centre-based haemodialysis. However, the impact of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus in patients receiving home haemodialysis on patient-reported outcomes such as symptom burden, quality of life, anxiety and depression and sleep disorders is not well understood. In this cross-sectional study on 59 patients on home haemodialysis, we aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus and its impact on patient-reported outcomes.

The 5-D itch scale and EQ-5D were used to measure itch severity and quality of life, respectively.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus was 31% (n = 18). Patients with chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus reported poorer quality of life compared to the non-pruritus group (0.760 vs. 1.00, p = 0.042). However, there was no significant association between pruritus severity and patient-reported outcomes, including quality of life.

These findings highlight the complex relationship between pruritus and quality of life in patients on home haemodialysis and underscored the need for more extensive, longitudinal studies to better explore correlations between pruritus severity and patient-reported outcomes, with the view to improving pruritus management and enhancing clinical outcomes.