Heparin Treatment Of Uremic Itching

To the Editor.—

Cutaneous itching is sometimes a very persistent manifestation of advanced renal failure. Its origin remains unexplained, except for the cases in which it was drastically relieved by parathyroidectomy.^1,2Itching is usually relieved by hemodialysis temporarily, so that the life of certain patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis who have distressing itching becomes comfertable. Whether this transient relief of itching results exclusively from dialysis per se or is related to some other factors has not as yet been eliminated. With regard to this problem, our relative observations suggest that heparin may have been at least partly responsible and would be used in the management of uremic itching. During past years, we studied five patients who complained of intolerable itching that was unresponsive to local, oral, or parenteral treatment with different drugs, mainly antihistamines and corticosteroids. The patients were in a good state for 15 to 30 months while undergoing