Why Does Peritoneal Dialysis Cause Itching and Its Management

It is common that kidney failure patients treated with peritoneal dialysis complain of skin itching. As itchy skin not only affects these patients’ life quality but also reveals some severe underlying disorders, most of them urgently want to make clear why peritoneal dialysis causes itching and the effective treatment.

What are the causes of itching in peritoneal dialysis?

Itching may occur easily even in people who don’t have kidney disease. On peritoneal dialysis, its incidence is more likely to increase, and there are usually several factors that can lead to this uneasy symptom.

Firstly, a high level of phosphorus in the body is a common cause. Since dialysis both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis doesn’t remove phosphorus efficiently, skin itching may happens as a consequence of the build up of phosphorus.

Secondly, the skin itching may be worse by uremic toxins in the blood that peritoneal dialysis doesn’t adequately eliminate. This is also the reason why the longer people on dialysis, the worse their condition is.

High levels of parathyroid hormone is another cause. Some people have found dramatic relief after having their parathyroid glands removed, but it doesn’t mean all people on peritoneal dialysis have itching should remove their parathyroid glands.

In rare cases, itching is caused by allergies. This condition usually occurs at the beginning of dialysis treatments, because patients may have an allergy to the blood tubing, dialyzer or other elements.

Next, how to manage itching on peritoneal dialysis?

Since the causes change from person to person, doing an accurate diagnosis is very necessary to guarantee you can take correct treatment. After diagnosed, you may be given the following treatments:

Make some diet modifications: If you are tested out high phosphorus level, following a low-phosphorus diet is helpful. Because most phosphorus in our body comes from the foods that we eat, you can avoid those foods that high in this mineral. In addition, reducing the waste products broken down from foods is also a good management.

Take some medicines: In some cases, only depending on diet can’t work very well. Then, some medical treatments are needed. For example, some patients on peritoneal dialysis who have itching do get some relief from antihistamines or capsaicin cream. Therefore, you can consult the doctor whether you can use these medicines to alleviate your discomfort.

Besides, removing parathyroid gland we have mentioned above, and preventing allergies may also be useful. You can make a good treatment plan with the guidance of doctor.