Why is your skin dry and itchy during hemodialysis?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Le Thi Minh Huong - Doctor of Resuscitation - Emergency, Department of Resuscitation - Emergency, Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital

Dry and itchy skin is a common symptom in hemodialysis patients, also known as pruritus associated with kidney disease. There are many causes of itchy skin during kidney dialysis such as limited fluid volume, uncontrolled phosphorus levels, allergies,...

1. Itchy skin during kidney dialysis

Dry and itchy skin is a common problem in hemodialysis patients. This symptom may be aggravated by dialysis. The degree of itching or dryness is different for each subject and can occur at any time of the day and on any part of the body. If itching is accompanied by other symptoms such as allergies, this may be due to a mild allergy to the dialysis membrane or components of the dialysis line. However, if the common pruritus is chronic, it is important to determine the cause of the pruritus, as it may be an underlying cause of viral hepatitis or medication use.
Some causes of dry skin and itchy skin during dialysis include:
Limited fluid intake: Dialysis treatment removes a lot of water from the body, as fluids are lost Traveling a lot can lead to dry and itchy skin; Uncontrolled phosphorus: When blood phosphorus levels are high, it binds to calcium and leads to an itchy sensation. During hemodialysis, the doctor will give phosphate binders and use them as directed to improve the condition; Allergies: Some people may be allergic to the dialysis membrane or dialysis line,...

2. Remedies for dry skin and itching when dialysis

Hemodialysis causes many different complications, seriously affecting the health and life of the patient. Dry and itchy skin can be treated with antihistamines, etc. In addition, it is recommended to use body moisturizers and skin lubricants. Some of the treatments include:
Acupuncture; UV therapy; UVB light therapy. In addition, itching and dry skin are common in patients with high calcium levels, as indicated by high calcium and phosphorus products or elevated PTH levels. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the concentration of calcium, phosphorus and PTH.

In summary, dry and itchy skin is a common symptom in hemodialysis patients, also known as pruritus associated with kidney disease. There are many causes for this symptom such as: limited fluid intake, uncontrolled phosphorus levels, allergies, etc. To relieve symptoms, it is necessary to take care of the skin regularly by cleaning and moisturizing daily. , in conjunction with your doctor's treatment.
Early detection of kidney failure plays an important role in the treatment outcome, so the diagnosis has special significance. Renal function scintigraphy is routinely applied at the Nuclear Medicine Unit, Vinmec Hospital. This is a technique to evaluate kidney function using modern high-precision measuring equipment and radioactive tracer. With good quality images, functional renal scintigraphy has become an indispensable technique to probe kidney function, contributing to improving the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment of kidney and urinary tract diseases. In particular, the scan shows the function of each kidney individually, helping to make safe treatment decisions. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital uses the SPECT/CT Discovery NM/CT 670 Pro equipment system, with the most modern 16-series CTs of the world's leading medical equipment company GE Healthcare (USA), for high-quality images, helping to diagnose diseases that need to be investigated early.
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