Fast Facts: Kidney Itch: CKD-associated Pruritus: Under-recognized and Under-treated

Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus, also known as uremic pruritus and in this book called ‘kidney itch’, is defined as itching suffered by people with chronic kidney disease who have no other condition to explain it. Repeated scratching causes trauma, bleeding and, eventually, scarring of the skin. Kidney itch can also have far-reaching effects on quality of life, with patients’ work and social life commonly affected. Even though kidney itch is common, it often goes undiagnosed, and when recognized, it is often inadequately treated or not treated at all. ‘Fast Facts: Kidney Itch’ describes the problem of kidney itch in detail, documents its impact on people’s lives, reviews the current understanding of its pathophysiology, and then sets out an evidence-based approach to its assessment and management