Table 3.
Dialysis parameters (whole study population) in patients with and without chronic itch (n = 860)
| Chronic itch (lifetime prevalence) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 307) | No (n = 553) | (n = 860) | |
| Dialysis vintage | Mean | Mean | Mean |
| Start of dialysis treatment, months ± SDa | 70.4 ± 70.1* | 50.8 ± 45.5* | 57.5 ± 56.2 |
| Duration of weekly dialysis treatment, hours ± SD | 13.0 ± 1.3 | 12.9 ± 1.3 | 12.9 ± 1.3 |
| Method of dialysis treatment (n = 851) | Relative frequency, % (n) | Relative frequency, % (n) | Relative frequency, % (n) |
| Hemodialysis | 80.1 (246) | 81.3 (442) | 80.8 (688) |
| Online hemodiafiltration (post-dilution) | 17.3 (53) | 17.1 (93) | 17.2 (146) |
| Online hemodiafiltration (pre-dilution) | 2.6 (8) | 1.7 (9) | 2.0 (17) |
| Dialyzers used (n = 850) | |||
| Low-flux | 8.8 (27) | 12.7 (69) | 11.3 (96) |
| High-flux | 91.2 (279) | 87.3 (475) | 88.7 (754) |
| Dialyzer membrane (n = 848) | |||
| Polysulfone | 57.8 (175)** | 66.2 (369) | 63.3 (544) |
| Polyethersulfone | 10.2 (31) | 9.7 (54) | 9.9 (85) |
| Polyarylethersulfone | 29.7 (90)*** | 21.7 (121) | 24.5 (211) |
| Polyacrylonitrile | - | 0.2 (1) | 0.1 (1) |
| Polyester-polymer | - | - | |
| Polymethylmethacrylate | 1.7 (5) | 0.4 (2) | 0.8 (7) |
| Sterilization technique, blood lines (n = 852) | |||
| Beta radiation | 37.5 (115) | 38.2 (208) | 37.9 (323) |
| Gamma radiation | 17.6 (54) | 18.5 (101) | 18.2 (155) |
| Ethylene oxide | - | - | - |
| Steam | 45.0 (138) | 43.3 (236) | 43.9 (374) |
| Sterilization technique dialyzer (n = 852) | |||
| Beta radiation | 0.3 (1) | 0.6 (3) | 0.5 (4) |
| Gamma radiation | 19.2 (59) | 20.6 (112) | 20.1 (171) |
| Ethylene oxide | - | - | |
| Steam | 80.5 (247) | 78.9 (430) | 79.5 (677) |
| Dialysate temperature, mean ± SD (°C) (n = 860) | 36.4 ± 0.2 | 36.4 ± 0.3 | 36.4 ± 0.3 |
aSD: standard deviation
*Significantly different at p < 0.05
**Significantly lower than average at p < 0.05
***Significantly higher than average at p < 0.05