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Review
. 2021 Oct 14;14(Suppl 3):i16-i22.
doi: 10.1093/ckj/sfab167. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Clinical management of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus: current treatment options and future approaches

Zoe M Lipman  1 , Vijayakumar Paramasivam  2 , Gil Yosipovitch  1 , Michael J Germain  2
Affiliations
Review

Clinical management of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus: current treatment options and future approaches

Zoe M Lipman et al. Clin Kidney J. .

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is an underdiagnosed yet severely distressing condition that impacts 60% of patients on dialysis and many nondialysis patients with Stages 3-5 CKD. However, despite its high prevalence, there are currently limited treatment options available for these patients and a lack of treatment guidelines for clinicians. In this manuscript, we reviewed the available literature in order to evaluate the current management and treatment options for CKD-aP, including dialysis management, topical treatments, gabapentinoids, opioids and alternative medicine. We also review the available data on CKD-aP treatments in development and propose new guidelines for managing patients with CKD-aP.

Keywords: CKD; CKD-aP; ESRD; itch; pruritus; uremic pruritus.

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