Table II.
Clinical characteristics of participants with and without pruritus
| Variable | With pruritus | Without pruritus | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participants, n | 74 | 101 | |
| VAS score for pruritus intensity, mean ± SD | 5.8 ± 2.5 | 0.0 ± 0.00 | <0.0001 |
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 61.4 ± 11.8 | 59.9 ± 10.47 | 0.27 |
| Female, n (%) | 34 (45.95) | 42 (41.58) | 0.57 |
| Duration of dialysis, years, mean ± SD | 7.08 ± 5.87 | 7.96 ± 6.10 | 0.25 |
| Kt/V, mean ± SD | 1.57 ± 0.24 | 1.54 ± 0.29 | 0.38 |
| Haematocrit, %, mean± SD | 35.56 ± 3.35 | 34.85 ± 4.01 | 0.20 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 10.74 ± 2.11 | 10.78 ± 2.06 | 0.99 |
| Uric acid, mg/dl, mean± SD | 7.68 ± 1.48 | 7.57 ± 1.33 | 0.99 |
| Albumin, g/dl, mean ± SD | 4.14 ± 0.31 | 4.15 ± 0.37 | 0.82 |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 121.88 ± 62.70 | 116.67 ± 60.58 | 0.22 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 166.93 ± 40.10 | 159.61 ± 39.78 | 0.22 |
| Triglyceride, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 180.61 ± 111.47 | 140.64 ± 108.86 | < 0.001* |
| Aspartate transaminase, U/l, mean ± SD | 17.11 ± 8.05 | 18.23 ± 9.80 | 0.45 |
| Alanine transaminase, U/l, mean ± SD | 14.82 ± 8.31 | 17.75 ± 19.60 | 0.72 |
| Alkaline phosphatase, U/l, mean ± SD | 110.85 ± 62.13 | 136.15 ± 192.01 | 0.98 |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 0.40 ± 0.14 | 0.42 ± 0.11 | 0.08 |
| Ferritin, ng/ml, mean± SD | 424.24 ± 254.42 | 408.18 ± 230.48 | 0.81 |
| Calcium, albumin adjusted, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 8.98 ± 0.76 | 8.92 ± 0.81 | 0.59 |
| Phosphorus, mg/dl, mean ± SD | 4.96 ± 1.30 | 4.78 ± 1.36 | 0.37 |
| Ca × P mg/dl × mg/dl, mean ± SD | 44.58 ± 12.06 | 42.93 ± 13.75 | 0.27 |
| Intact parathyroid hormone, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 358.54 ± 336.29 | 398.01 ± 462.25 | 0.84 |
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, mg/l, mean ± SD | 0.77 ± 0.97 | 0.84 ± 2.01 | 0.17 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 43 (58.11) | 40 (39.6) | 0.02* |
| Hepatitis B, n (%) | 9 (12.16) | 18 (17.82) | 0.31 |
| Hepatitis C, n (%) | 5 (6.76) | 11 (10.89) | 0.35 |
| Monocytes subsets | |||
| Classical monocytes, %, mean ± SD | 69.19 ± 9.88 | 72.79 ± 8.47 | 0.01* |
| Intermediate monocytes, %, mean ± SD | 13.55 ± 7.86 | 11.78 ± 5.72 | 0.22 |
| Non-classical monocytes, %, mean ± SD | 10.15 ± 5.24 | 9.17 ± 4.49 | 0.21 |
| Cytokines | |||
| Interleukin-2, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 0.09 ± 0.58 | 0.31 ± 1.20 | 0.07 |
| Interferon-γ, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 0.88 ± 2.30 | 1.18 ± 4.53 | 0.92 |
| Interleukin-12p70, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 0.91 ± 1.14 | 1.00 ± 1.98 | 0.41 |
| Interleukin-4, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 0.69 ± 2.01 | 0.50 ± 1.99 | 0.17 |
| Interleukin-5, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 0.08 ± 0.36 | 0.06 ± 0.33 | 0.66 |
| Interleukin-6, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 6.40 ± 8.99 | 7.45 ± 20.29 | 0.83 |
| Tumour necrosis factor-a, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 0.52 ± 0.62 | 0.51 ± 0.66 | 0.95 |
| Interleukin-10, pg/ml, mean ± SD | 1.55 ± 1.91 | 1.74 ± 2.02 | 0.42 |
*
p ≤ 0.05.
SD: standard deviation; VAS: visual analogue scale; Ca × P: product of albumin-adjusted serum calcium (Ca) and serum phosphorus (P).