association between uremic pruritus and serum level of fibroblast growth factor 23 in hemodialysis patients in north of iran: an observational study

Background: chronic itch (ci) in hemodialysis (hd), also called uremic pruritus (up), is a common, distressing, and unpleasant symptom. fibroblast growth factor 23 (fgf23) is a bone-secreted phosphaturic factor. several bone diseases can accompany kidney diseases. it is unclear whether the common disturbance of calcium/phosphate homeostasis can cause ci in chronic kidney disease. objectives: this study investigated the association between fgf23 and up among hd patients in northern iran. methods: patients undergoing maintenance hd at four referral medical centers were recruited in this cross-sectional survey. the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate serum fgf23 levels. an interview questionnaire was used to analyze the various aspects of pruritus. results: of 237 subjects, 54.01% had up. there was no difference in serum fgf23 levels between patients with and without up (413.17 ± 416.97 vs. 410.81 ± 444.49, p = 0.85). those with up required dialysis for a longer period (p = 0.02). fgf23 was shown to be associated with parathyroid hormone in up (p = 0.02, r = 0.41). conclusions: there was no linear correlation between fgf23 and up in this study.