Uremic pruritus and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in diabetic and non-diabetic hemodialysis patients

Introduction Even though uremic pruritus (UP) is very troublesome for haemodialysis (HD) patients, its underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Aim Due to the possible role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its higher serum concentration in haemodialysis diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic ones, this study is aimed to evaluate its association with UP among diabetic and non-diabetic patients on maintenance HD. Material and methods A total of 94 patients were enrolled into the study. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess pruritus. Results No differences were found between the observed study groups in terms of BDNF serum concentration, other biochemical markers, sleep disturbances, or pruritus presentation. Conclusions BDNF serum concentration was not found to be associated with UP among HD patients, however further studies are worth performing on a larger group of individuals.