Clinical and laboratory findings in the studied patients
| All patients n=295 | Uremic pruritus n=151 | No uremic pruritus n=144 | P value | |
| Age (y), mean±SD | 51.8±14.5 | 52.5±14.2 | 51.1±14.7 | 0.4 |
| Male/female, n | 156/139 | 91/60 | 65/79 | 0.009 |
| HD duration (y), median (IQR) | 4.0 (1.5–7.0) | 3.9 (1.5–6.0) | 4.0 (1.1–8.0) | 0.35 |
| History/comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| History of allergy | 27 (9.2) | 17 (11.3) | 10 (6.9) | 0.2 |
| Hypertension | 207 (70.2) | 116 (76.8) | 91 (63.2) | 0.01 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 61 (20.7) | 32 (21.2) | 29 (20.1) | 0.82 |
| HCV | 98 (33.2) | 59 (39.1) | 39 (27.1) | 0.03 |
| Used medications, n (%) | ||||
| Calcimate | 258 (87.5) | 128 (84.8) | 130 (90.3) | 0.15 |
| Cinacalcet | 22 (7.5) | 11 (7.3) | 11 (7.6) | 0.91 |
| Vitamin D | 47 (15.9) | 19 (12.6) | 28 (19.4) | 0.11 |
| Analgesics | 28 (9.5) | 17 (11.3) | 11 (7.6) | 0.29 |
| Antihypertensives | ||||
| Beta blockers | 173 (58.6) | 88 (58.3) | 85 (59.0) | 0.44 |
| Calcium channel blockers | 138 (46.8) | 76 (50.3) | 62 (43.1) | 0.21 |
| ACE inhibitors | 121 (41.0) | 65 (43.1) | 56 (38.9) | 0.47 |
| Vasodilators | 110 (37.3) | 52 (34.4) | 58 (40.3) | 0.3 |
| Clonidine | 19 (6.4) | 8 (5.3) | 11 (7.6) | 0.41 |
| Hemodialysis parameters, mean±SD | ||||
| Frequency (session/wk) | 2.9±0.4 | 2.9±0.4 | 2.9±0.4 | 0.56 |
| Duration of session (h) | 3.9±0.4 | 3.9±0.3 | 3.9±0.5 | 0.85 |
| Ultrafiltration volume (L) | 2.3±0.9 | 2.3±0.9 | 2.3±0.8 | 0.83 |
| Pump flow rate (mL/min) | 263.8±34.6 | 265.0±37.3 | 262.5±31.7 | 0.54 |
| Kt/V | 1.32±0.14 | 1.31±0.15 | 1.33±0.13 | 0.15 |
| Dry weight (kg) | 66.1±6.5 | 66.7±5.8 | 65.5±7.2 | 0.13 |
| Intradialytic weight gain (kg) | 2.6±0.5 | 2.6±0.6 | 2.7±0.4 | 0.09 |
| Laboratory findings, mean±SD/median (IQR) | ||||
| Hb (g/L) | 10.2±0.2 | 10.4±0.3 | 9.9±0.2 | 0.86 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 9.0±3.0 | 8.6±3.1 | 9.3±2.9 | 0.06 |
| Urea (mg/dL) | 115.3±45.2 | 112.5±47.6 | 118.3±42.5 | 0.27 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.8±0.6 | 3.8±0.6 | 3.7±0.6 | 0.09 |
| Calcium (mg/dL) | 8.9±1.1 | 9.1±1.2 | 8.7±1.1 | 0.004 |
| Phosphorus (mg/dL) | 5.3±1.7 | 5.6±1.9 | 5.0±1.5 | 0.001 |
| PTH (pg/mL) | 660.0 (389.9–1109.0) | 669.9 (427.8–1216.3) | 648.7 (335.6–977.3) | 0.26 |
| AST (U/L) | 4.4±1.9 | 4.4±1.7 | 4.3±2.3 | 0.7 |
| ALT (U/L) | 20.6±13.9 | 20.4±15.4 | 20.9±12.1 | 0.74 |
| Uric acid (mg/dL) | 4.4±2.1 | 4.4±2.2 | 4.3±2.0 | 0.84 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 492.0 (348.0–964.0) | 503.0 (365.0–1034.0) | 485.0 (343.8–874.3) | 0.29 |
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 109.6±36.5 | 115.7±33.7 | 103.2±38.2 | 0.003 |
ALT, alanine transferase; AST, aspartate transferase; Hb, hemoglobin; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HD, hemodialysis; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; PTH, parathyroid hormone.