Metabolomic analysis of uremic pruritus in patients on hemodialysis

Pruritus is a common debilitating symptom experienced by hemodialysis patients. Treatment is difficult because the cause of uremic pruritus is not known. This study addressed the hypothesis that pruritus is caused by solutes that accumulate in the plasma when the kidneys fail. We sought to identify solutes responsible for uremic pruritus using metabolomic analysis to compare the plasma of hemodialysis patients with severe pruritus versus mild/no pruritus. Pruritus severity in hemodialysis patients was assessed using a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS), with severe pruritus defined as >70 mm and mild/no pruritus defined as