Effects of Helichrysum Psudoplicatum supplementation on pruritus intensity, fatigue, quality of life and anorexia in hemodialysis patients: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Anorexia, fatigue and pruritus are common complications of hemodialysis (HD) patients. Today, the use of medicinal plants is more than synthetic drugs due to their safety. Therefore, we designed a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effects of Helichrysum psudoplicatum (H. psudoplicatum) supplementation on biochemical parameters, pruritus intensity, fatigue, quality of life and anorexia in HD patients. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 50 subjects with, aged 55-65 years old. HD patients were randomly divided into two groups. Intervention group received 250 mg/day of H. psudoplicatum supplement capsule for 6 weeks (n=25), and the placebo group was given placebo capsule for the same time duration and dosage (n=25). The serum concentrations of urea, creatinine, albumin and hemoglobin were measured enzymatically methods. Anorexia, pruritus intensity, quality of life the dialysis patients with pruritus and fatigue score was measured using a Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ), Numerical rating scale (NRS), Fatigue severity scale (FSS) and ItchyQoL questionnaire, respectively. Shapiro-Wilk and independent-samples t-test or Mann-Whitney test were used for the analysis of the data. RESULTS: The results showed that the H. psudoplicatum supplementation significantly improved the pruritus intensity, quality of life the dialysis patients with pruritus and fatigue in HD patients, for 6 weeks (p<0.001). However, it did not significantly effect on the anorexia, albumin, hemoglobin, urea, creatinine, arm circumference, and body mass index (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: According to the results of this study, H. psudoplicatum supplementation can be effective as an adjunct therapy to improve pruritus intensity, quality of life, fatigue and relative improvement of anorexia in HD patients.

Effects of Artemisia supplementation on anorexia in hemodialysis patients: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: One of the most important problems of hemodialysis (HD) patients is anorexia due to the lack of proper treatment for it and on the other hand kidney disease is increasing. We designed a randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate the effects of Artemisia supplementation on anorexia in HD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out on 58 subjects with HD, aged 55-65 years old. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group received 250 mg/day of Artemisia supplement capsule for six weeks (n=26), and the other group was given placebo for the same time duration and dosage (n=32). The serum concentrations of urea, creatinine, albumin and hemoglobin were measured enzymatically using commercial kits. Anorexia score was measured using a Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ). Independent t-test analysis were applied to evaluate the data. RESULTS: The results showed that the Artemisia supplementation significantly improved the anorexia in HD patients, for six weeks (p<0.05). However, it did not significantly effect on the albumin, hemoglobin, urea, creatinine, arm circumference, and body mass index (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the outcomes of this study, Artemisia supplementation can be effective as an adjunct therapy for improve anorexia in HD patients.