Volume 51, Issue 2 , Pages 345-346, February 2008
In Reply
Article Outline
In Reply:
We thank Dr Jenkins for his comment regarding the role of iron deficiency in CKD itch. We agree that, historically, iron deficiency anemia has been mentioned in anecdotal reports to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of generalized pruritus as well as in dialysis patients. However, DOPPS, the large Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study of more than 18,000 hemodialysis patients, did not find any correlation between low ferritin levels, which have a direct correlation with the total amount of iron stored in the body, and pruritus.1 Pruritus continues to be a common problem among hemodialysis patients; despite erythropoietin use, 42% of patients still itch. Therefore it seems iron deficiency anemia is not a common cause for CKD itch.
Letters to the Editor may be in response to an article in AJKD or may concern a topic of interest to currentnephrology. For responses to AJKD articles, the Letter must be received no more than 6 weeks after the article’s date of print publication. The body of the letter should be as concise as possible and in general should not exceed 250 words. Up to 10 references and 1 figure or table may be included. There is no guarantee that letters will be published. Letters are subject to editing and abridgment without notice.
Letters should be submitted via AJKD’s online manuscript handling site, http://www.editorialmanager.com/ajkd. More information, including details about how to contact the editorial staff for assistance, is available in the journal’s Information for Authors.
Acknowledgements
Support: None.
Financial Disclosure: None.
Reference
PII: S0272-6386(07)01604-6
doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2007.12.008
© 2008 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc All rights reserved.
Refers to article:
- A Common Cause of Pruritus in Dialysis Patients
Volume 51, Issue 2 , Pages 345-346, February 2008
