Re: Relationship Between Serum Intact Parathyroid Hormone and Pruritus in Hemodialysis Patients

Dear Editor, With great interest, we recently read the article by Makhlough and collegues titled “Relationship Between Serum Intact Parathyroid Hormone and Pruritus in Hemodialysis Patients” published in your most valuable journal. This study focused its massage on sociodemographic and laboratory factors affecting on pruritus in hemodialysis patients. It is of interest that the authors concluded high levels of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) correlated with the severity of pruritus in hemodialysis patients. Akhyani and colleagues showed there was no significant relationship between pruritus and serum level of PTH in hemodialysis patients. In addition, another study found that PTH injection in to the skin did not lead to pruritus, so PTH itself was not pruritugenic. It is also important to note that pruritus was not a common symptom in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism; on the other hand, all patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism did not have pruritus and often itching persisted after low postoperative PTH level.Thus, the role of PTH on pruritus has remained a challenge, yet. It seems some factors such as anemia of chronic disease, iron deficiency anemia, hepatitis, and hypothyroidism can affect pruritus on hemodialysis individuals.