Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Pruritus: A Glance at Novel and Lesser-Known Treatments

Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP), also known as uremic pruritus, has been associated with increased mortality and lower quality of life among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The relentless nature of the condition is mainly due to its diverse and complex etiologies, which are still being studied. Despite the introduction of many agents to treat it, the resolution rates of CKD-aP still remain unsatisfactory. This study sought to review the lesser-known/novel treatments and establish a relationship between their mechanism of action and the proposed etiologies implicated in CKD-aP. We also discuss the role of dialysis modification in managing CKD-aP. A decent proportion of the reviewed studies have proposed that the agents analyzed in them act through hampering inflammation. Interestingly, the results of two agents alluded to the role of dysbiosis in CKD-aP. The addition of hemoperfusion to the dialysis regimen of patients with CKD-aP improved the severity of their symptoms. The featured treatments could be tried in patients with intractable symptoms. However, additional research is needed to confirm the findings reported in these studies. A better understanding of the pathologic mechanisms is required to help guide the development of agents that can better treat CKD-aP.