Targeting the Opioid Pathway for the Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease Associated Pruritus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Abstract

Generalized pruritus is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and requires investigation of all possible causes and treatment where possible1 . Specific to dialysis, >60% of patients are affected2 and almost half experience moderate to severe pruritus, which is associated with poor quality of life (QOL), reduced sleep, and death2 . Unfortunately, there are few approved therapies for CKD-associated pruritus and off-label treatments have limited efficacy. More recently, mu-opioid receptor antagonists (MORAs) and novel kappa-opioid receptor agonists (KORAs) have been investigated as possible therapies.