Association of high sensitive C reactive protein and dialysis adequacy with uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients

ABSTRACT Introduction Uremic pruritus is one of the most common and complicated symptom affecting hemodialysis patients, it can be persistent, distressing and having a significant impact on the quality of life. We aimed to study the relationship between high sensitive C reactive protein and adequacy of dialysis with uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods In this Case control study one hundred prevalent hemodialysis patients were enrolled from hemodialysis units in Ain Shams University hospitals, fifty of them had pruritus and the other fifty patients had no pruritis, all of them underwent urea reduction ratio for dialysis adequacy assessment, pruritus assessment by using visual analog scale and high sensitive C reactive protein serum level. Results Uremic pruritus has statistically significant negative correlation with urea reduction ratio and consequently with dialysis adequacy. However, uremic pruritus has statistically significant positive correlation with highly sensitive C reactive protein serum levels in hemodialysis patients. Conclusion Inadequate hemodialysis and increased hsCRP serum level play an important role in aggravating intensity and severity of uremic pruritus.