Cross-sectional Study to Assess Prevalence and Burden of CKD-associated Pruritus in Hemodialysis Patients

Vifor International Ltd. is seeking real-world evidence (RWE) to better understand the epidemiology, patient characteristics, and management of CKD-aP in the real-world clinical setting.

CKD-aP is a global clinical problem, and finding effective treatment remains a therapeutic challenge because of its complex pathophysiology (Sommer 2007, Weisshaar 2019, Yosipovitch 2013). The association between CKD-aP and clinical features and laboratory data remains unclear (Davison 2021, Manenti 2021). CKD-aP is thought to be associated with several conditions, including vitamin D deficiency, metabolic abnormalities (e.g., abnormal serum calcium or phosphate levels), toxin build-up, peripheral neuropathy, immune system dysregulation, or opioid receptor dysregulation (Jung 2015, Xie 2021, Kremer 2019, Verduzco 2020, Swarna 2019, Manenti 2021). At present, there is no systematic assessment of CKD-aP in routine clinical practice, and the prevalence of CKD-aP is generally under-reported by patients and therefore underestimated by as much as 69% of healthcare professionals (HCPs) (Rayner 2017). Alleviating the burden of CKD-aP requires proactive identification of patients who suffer from it (Sukul 2020, Davison 2015, Phan 2012).