Effects of Increased Blood Flow Rate and Oral Activated Charcoal on the Severity of Uremic Pruritus: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of increased blood flow rate and the administration of an activated charcoal suspension on the severity of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients in a crossover clinical trial. Each group (n = 20) received three 2-week interventions, including increased pumping speed, daily administration of a charcoal suspension (6 g), and the concurrent use of increased pumping speed and oral administration of the charcoal suspension. After each intervention, they had a 2-week washout period. The severity and quality of pruritus were measured using the Yosipovitch's pruritus questionnaire. The results showed that the mean severity, highest pruritus score, and lowest pruritus score decreased after all three interventions, but the highest decrease was related to the third intervention. Considering the results of this study, simultaneous use of increased pumping speed and oral administration of a charcoal suspension is recommended to reduce uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients.