Comparative Analysis of Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Pruritus: A Multi-Ethnic Study among Patients on Hemodialysis

To date, no study has compared the prevalence of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) among patients on hemodialysis in Pakistan (a developing country with poor health resources) and Malaysia (a newly industrialized country with adequate health resources). The aim was to compare CKD-aP between Pakistani and Malaysian patients on hemodialysis and factors associated with CKD-aP. Pakistani patients were recruited from July 2016 to April 2017 from two tertiary hospitals in Peshawar and Rawalpindi. Whilst Malaysian patients were recruited from February to September 2017 from a tertiary hospital and its affiliated dialysis centers in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 354 Pakistani and 334 Malaysian patients were recruited (response rate=100%). The CKD-aP prevalence was 74% and 61.3% in Pakistan and Malaysia, respectively. Pakistani patients had poorer PSQI and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores compared to Malaysian patients. The prevalence of CKD-aP and the PSQI score was slightly higher in Pakistan than in Malaysia. CKD-aP was significantly associated with PSQI score and HRQOL in both populations.