Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkish Journal of Dermatology, cilt.19, sa.3, ss.138-144, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
Aim: Pruritus is one of the most common dermatologic conditions in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Uremic toxins, inflammation, imbalance in mineral metabolism, and altered hormonal status may constitute underlying causes. The present study aims to evaluate the association between inflammatory markers and pruritus, with or without the presence of xerosis, in CKD. Materials and Methods: This observational and cross-sectional study compared CKD patients with pruritus and xerosis with CKD patients without pruritus and xerosis regarding inflammatory markers. Peripheral blood-derived inflammatory markers such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio were analyzed. Results: A total of 92 patients were included in the study, 47 (51.1%) of whom had xerosis and/or pruritus. Pruritus and xerosis were significantly associated (P < 0.001), but there were also CKD patients with pruritus and without xerosis (28%). MLR was significantly higher in patients with pruritus, and in patients with both xerosis and pruritus, than in those without (P = 0.037 and P = 0.046, respectively). Dialysis status was not associated with pruritus (P = 0.911), and CRP levels in patients with dialysis were higher than those who did not receive dialysis (P = 0.046). Conclusion: Higher MLR in patients with CKD-associated pruritus may suggest a role for monocytes in the mechanism of pruritus, where low-grade inflammation of CKD is an underlying cause. In the future, therapeutic measures to reduce monocyte activity may be studied to treat CKD-associated pruritus.