Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to determine possible changes in pruritus, quality of life, depression and sleep quality in pruritic hemodialysis (HD) patients with gabapentin therapy.

Patients and Methods: Fourteen adult HD patients (7 men, 7 women; mean age 59.7±17.2 years; range 41 to 88 years) with history of pruritus of more than eight weeks were assigned to receive 8-week gabapentin (300 mg per day) therapy. The daily pruritus were recorded using visual analogue scale for each period of the study during one week preceding the trial, the active treatment phase, the placebo phase and the intervening 1-week washout period. Sleep quality was determined with a modified post-sleep inventory, quality of life with a short form of Medical Outcomes Study (SF-36), depression using the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results: The mean pruritus score and total of post-sleep inventory were decreased significantly with gabapentin therapy (p=0.01 and p=0.002 respectively). Physical and mental component scales of SF-36 increased, whereas cognitive and somatic depression index decreased with gabapentin.

Conclusion: We concluded that beneficial effects of gabapentin therapy on pruritus, quality of life, depression and sleep quality are clinically important in HD patients with pruritus. Gabapentin therapy should be taken into account as an important choice of therapy in pruritic HD patients.