Complementary and alternative medicine therapies for uremic pruritus - A systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Yeam CT, et al.
Published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine
Methodology
Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of complementary and alternative medicine for uremic pruritus in chronic kidney disease; interventions classified using National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health categories, with efficacy judged by change in pruritus severity and all reported adverse effects extracted.
Key Findings
This systematic review screened 5,242 articles and included 34 randomised controlled trials of complementary and alternative therapies for uremic itch in chronic kidney disease, of which 15 (44.1%) had more than 50 participants. The 21 treatments examined included omega-3 supplementation (5 trials), acupuncture (5), topical capsaicin (4) and acupressure (3). Acupuncture, acupressure and topical capsaicin improved itch severity, while oral omega-3 and zinc supplementation showed mixed results, and evening primrose oil, turmeric, vitamin B3, vitamin D and thermal therapy were not effective. Topical capsaicin commonly caused mild burning (50.0-88.2%) or redness (6.7-22.7%).
Conclusions
Omega-3 and zinc showed mixed efficacy for uremic pruritus while evening primrose oil, turmeric, vitamin B3 and vitamin D were not effective.
Limitations
More than half the included trials had fewer than 50 participants, and acupuncture, acupressure and capsaicin are difficult to blind convincingly, so placebo effects may inflate the positive findings; results were summarised narratively rather than pooled.
Supplements Studied
Other therapies such as evening primrose oil, turmeric, vitamin B3, vitamin D and thermal therapy were not effective for treatment of UP.
Other therapies such as evening primrose oil, turmeric, vitamin B3, vitamin D and thermal therapy were not effective for treatment of UP.
Interventions which include oral omega-3 fatty acid and zinc supplementation demonstrated mixed efficacy.
Related Health Concerns
Study Details
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