Therapeutic effect of intravenous sodium thiosulfate for uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients

Objectives This study aimed to compare the efficacy of intravenous sodium thiosulfate (IV STS) with that of loratadine in the treatment of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods This retrospective study included 44 HD patients with pruritus aged over 18 years between June 2018 and January 2020 at the Aerospace Center Hospital of China. Twenty-four HD patients received 3.2 g IV STS treatment three times per week at the end of each HD session for 8 weeks. Twenty HD patients received loratadine (10 mg/day) for 8 weeks. Pruritus intensity was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the detailed pruritus score (DPS) at three time points. The safety of STS was evaluated according to adverse event symptoms and biological variable changes. Results There was no significant difference between the STS and loratadine groups in age, sex, characteristics of pruritus, or other clinical variables before treatment. After 8 weeks of treatment, the VAS score (7.07 +/- 2.56 and 2.67 +/- 2.01) and DPS (30.72 +/- 4.81 and 8.04 +/- 2.86) decreased significantly in the STS group (p < 0.05). The mean decrease in VAS score (6.89 +/- 1.98 and 6.34 +/- 2.35) and DPS (28.90 +/- 3.24 and 26.92 +/- 2.41) in the loratadine group was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). There were no morbidities or mortalities associated with the use of either drug. All biological variables remained stable after therapy. Conclusions STS can improve uremic pruritus in HD patients. However, literature on the subject remains lacking. Close monitoring for adverse effects is advised.