@article{3048928,
    title = "Is aluminum toxicity responsible for uremic pruritus in chronic
hemodialysis patients?",
    author = "Friga, V and Linos, A and Linos, DA",
    journal = "Nephron Extra",
    year = "1997",
    volume = "75",
    number = "1",
    pages = "48-53",
    publisher = "Karger",
    issn = "1664-5529",
    doi = "10.1159/000189499",
    keywords = "pruritus; hemodialysis; aluminum; chronic renal failure;
calcium-phosphate product",
    abstract = "Pruritus is a common symptom among patients undergoing long-term
hemodialysis. However, its etiology remains unclear. In an attempt to
clarify its cause we tried to correlate pruritus and its intensity with
several serological variables in 94 hemodialysis patients. Our results
show that higher serum aluminum concentrations are found in dialysis
patients with pruritus (p = 0.008) and that the intensity of pruritus is
also significantly related to the aluminum concentration (p = 0.007).
The intensity of pruritus was also correlated with the calcium-phosphate
product (p = 0.03). Our findings suggest that prolonged exposure to
aluminum in patients with chronic renal failure might be involved in the
pathogenesis of uremic pruritus and elevated calcium-phosphate product
seems to be an additional factor predisposing to pruritus."
}