• S Sanada, M Kuze, and O Yoshida.
• Department of Urology, Kansai-Denryoku Hospital.
• Hinyokika Kiyo. 1987 Dec 1;33(12):1955-60.

AbstractPersistent pruritus is one of the most common symptoms in hemodialysis patients. The cause of pruritus is not known, and conventional treatment for pruritus is rarely helpful. Some authors thought that release of histamine from increased mast cells in uremic patients was the cause of pruritus. On the other hand, there have been a number of reports suggesting that uremic patients are zinc deficient. In vitro as well as in vivo studies have demonstrated that zinc has an inhibitory effect on various functions of some cells, such as histamine release from mast cells. In this study, we examined the serum zinc and histamine levels in 19 hemodialysis patients with persistent pruritus and the effect of zinc supplementation on the pruritus. In patients with pruritus, the serum zinc level decreased and serum histamine level increased, showing a negative correlation between them. Oral zinc sulfate, 445 mg daily for two months, relieved pruritus subjectively in 53% of the patients. After treatment, serum histamine levels decreased significantly, as well as serum zinc levels increased significantly. These findings suggest that zinc deficiency participates in increased histamine levels in dialysis patients, and subsequently in the development of uremic pruritus.

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