Itching in renal failure: a curse with a cure
| Autor: | Hugh Rayner |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Renal Nursing. 5:178-182 |
| ISSN: | 2052-2894 2041-1448 |
| Popis: | Uraemic pruritus, or renal itching, is a common and distressing problem for people with renal failure (NHS Media Hub, 2012a). When severe, it leads to sleep deprivation, depression and is associated with an increased risk of death. Fortunately, there is now good trial evidence and extensive experience to guide effective treatment, which can transform the lives of affected patients (NHS Media Hub, 2012b). Renal nurses play an important role in identifying those patients affected and helping them get the right treatment. This article sets out the existing knowledge about the condition and offers a simple stepwise approach to management. Some degree of itching is common in patients with advanced kidney failure. About 10% of haemodialysis patients report being extremely bothered by itching (Figure 1) (Pisoni et al, 2006). If these numbers seem surprisingly high this is because many patients do not report itching unless they are asked. The itching is likely to be related to renal failure rather than a separate skin disease if patients have no obvious rash other than the marks caused by scratching. In severe cases, hard itchy nodules can develop (prurigo nodularis), which break through the skin when scratched. Itching due to renal failure is different to the common symptom that most people experience. The sensation is characteristically described as being underneath rather than in the skin (NHS Media Hub, 2012a). Patients often say they feel like ‘tearing their skin off’ to get at the itch. It is commonly felt on the back, limbs and scalp. The site of the itching can move around the body and varies in intensity from day to day (Mathur et al, 2010). It is worse in warm environments; some |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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