Treatment Effects of Different Incident Dialysis Modalities on Pruritus in Elderly Uremic Patients

Background: To observe the treatment effects of different dialysis modalities on pruritus in elderly uremic patients. Methods: After screening, 67 elderly dialysis patients were selected, including 25 hemodialysis (HD) patients, 20 HD combined with hemodiafiltration (HD + HDF) patients, and 22 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-MG) and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels were measured before the initial dialysis, and 8 and 12 weeks after the dialysis. During these periods, cutaneous pruritus scores were documented and the remission rate of itching was calculated. Results: There were significant differences in the plasma beta 2-MG and iPTH levels at 8 and 12 weeks after the initial dialysis in the HDF and PD groups (all p < 0.05). There were also significant differences in cutaneous pruritus scores (all p < 0.01) in the HDF and PD groups, but the scores showed no significant difference in the HD group (all p > 0.05). After 12 weeks of treatment. the pruritus remission rates in the PD, HDF, and HD groups were 6818%, 60.00%, and 24.00%, respectively. Conclusion: PD and HDF can clear beta 2-MG and iPTH and provide relief from cutaneous pruritus efficiently in elderly uremic patients. Copyright (C) 2014, Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency & Critical Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.