Table 1.
Patient characteristics according to the extent to which patients were bothered by itchy skin
| Variable | To What Extent Were You Bothered by Itchy Skin during the Past 4 wk? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Response | Not at All | Somewhat | Moderately | Very Much | Extremely | |
| Total sample, N | 2365 | 2111 | 1840 | 1188 | 692 | 425 |
| Total sample, % | 27 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Patient characteristics | ||||||
| Men | 60 | 60 | 59 | 60 | 60 | 59 |
| Age, yr | 66 (15) | 62 (15) | 62 (15) | 63 (15) | 63 (15) | 64 (15) |
| Time on dialysis, yr | 5.1 (5.6) | 5.4 (6.2) | 5.8 (6.2) | 5.3 (5.7) | 4.9 (5.4) | 5.1 (6) |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26 (6) | 26 (6) | 25 (6) | 26 (7) | 26 (6) | 26 (7) |
| Treatment time, min | 231 (37) | 237 (34) | 237 (35) | 235 (32) | 232 (32) | 232 (29) |
| Hemodiafiltration,a % | 22 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 |
| Smokerb | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 21 |
| Hepatitis B/C | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Laboratory values | ||||||
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 10.9 (1.4) | 11 (1.4) | 11 (1.4) | 11 (1.4) | 11 (1.4) | 10.9 (1.5) |
| Parathyroid hormone, pg/ml | 355 (379) | 355 (416) | 348 (449) | 346 (496) | 322 (345) | 349 (430) |
| White blood cell count | 6.9 (2.3) | 6.7 (2.1) | 6.7 (2.2) | 6.7 (2.2) | 6.8 (2.4) | 7 (2.5) |
| Albumin, g/dl | 3.7 (0.5) | 3.8 (0.5) | 3.7 (0.5) | 3.7 (0.5) | 3.7 (0.5) | 3.7 (0.5) |
| Ferritin, ng/ml | 486 [228–806] | 410 [159–754] | 344 [105–672] | 394 [156–715] | 382 [155–680] | 401 [141–704] |
| Calcium, mg/dl | 8.9 (0.8) | 8.9 (0.8) | 8.9 (0.8) | 8.9 (0.8) | 8.9 (0.8) | 8.9 (0.8) |
| Phosphorus, mg/dl | 4.9 [4–5.9] | 4.9 [4.1–5.9] | 5.1 [4.2–6.0] | 5 [4–5.9] | 5 [4.1–6] | 5 [4.1–6.1] |
| Calcium × phosphorus product, mg2/dl2 | 43 (35, 53) | 43 (36, 52) | 45 (36, 55) | 44 (35, 52) | 44 (36, 53) | 44 (36, 54) |
| Single-pool Kt/V | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.5 (0.3) | 1.5 (0.3) |
| CRP, mg/Lc | 4.7 [1.5–13.2] | 3 [1–8] | 2.7 [1–7] | 4 [1–9.7] | 4 [1–10.5] | 5.3 [1.7–15.8] |
| Patient-reported measures, % | ||||||
| Bothered by dry skind | 14 | 21 | 68 | 81 | 87 | |
| Have restless sleepe | 29 | 36 | 46 | 57 | 66 | |
Data are from patients enrolled at the start of the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study phase 5 (i.e., 2012–2015). Data are shown as mean (SD), median [interquartile range], or column percentage. Nonresponse rate was 27% overall, varying from 9% in Turkey to 46% in Canada. BMI, body mass index; CRP, C-reactive protein.
Hemodiafiltration excludes the United States and Canada due to lack of use (n=6024).
Smoker is defined as someone indicating being a current smoker or who stopped smoking within past year; this measure was missing for all patients from United States large dialysis organizations (n=5871).
CRP is restricted to facilities that reported measurement in at least 50% of patients (excludes the United States; n=2607).
Measure shows the percentage of patients who selected moderately, very much, or extremely bothered (versus not at all or somewhat) in response to the question on the Patient Questionnaire: “During the past 4 weeks, to what extent were you bothered by each of the following: dry skin?” (n=6152); this measure was missing for most “no response” patients, because they did not return the questionnaire.
Measure shows the percentage of patients who selected “3= Occasionally or a moderate amount of the time (3–4 days)” or “4= Most or all of the time (5–7 days)” versus “1= Rarely or none of the time (<1 day)” or “2= Some or little of the time (1–2 days)” in response to the question on the Patient Questionnaire: “During the past 4 weeks, my sleep was restless” (n=6025); this measure was missing for most “no response” patients, because they did not return the questionnaire.