Relationship between serum intact parathyroid hormone and pruritus in hemodialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: Pruritus is one of the most common cutaneous complications in hemodialysis patients. There is no consensus on etiologic and pathologic factors. This study is aimed to evaluate the correlation between serum intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) level and the severity of pruritus in hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, all of the patients referred to hemodialysis center of two hospitals in Sari, Iran, were primarily examined by a dermatologist and those who had no pathologic findings were included in the study. Serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, albumin, creatinine, and intact PTH were measured and evaluated against the pruritus scores. RESULTS: A total of 153 patients were studied of whom 52.3% (n = 80) were men. The prevalence of pruritus and hyperparathyroidism were 61.4% and 60.7%, respectively, and these were not significantly different between men and women. There was a significant difference in the mean itching score between the patents with and without hyperparathyroidism (5.71 +/- 5.39 and 4.93 +/- 2.93, respectively; P = .005). Serum intact PTH level correlated with itching score in this population (r = 0.294, P < .001), while no correlations were found between itching score and other laboratory parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that intact PTH level is correlated to the severity of pruritus in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, control of hyperparathyroidism in hemodialysis patients is very important to overcome pruritus.

Continuation rates and reasons for discontinuing TCu380A IUD use in Sari, Iran.

This study reports results from a 60-month study on the use of TCu380A IUD among 400 women in Sari, Iran. The aim of this study was to assess a sample of women in our region who requested removal of their IUD, continuation rates use and reason for discontinuation. This is a cohort study on 400 women who using the TCu380A IUD and referred to medical health centers of Sari/Iran from May 1999 to May 2006. We randomly selected one half of all health and medical centers in Sari (a total of 20 centers). At each selected center, we randomly sampled 10% of all IUD subjects whose insertion occurred between May 1999 and May 2006. Obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods. Continuation rates at the end of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years were 96.3, 81.5, 79.2 and 18 per 100, respectively. Median survival time was about 37 months. Among women using the TCu380A IUD, the rate of termination due to bleeding was significantly higher than the rate of termination due to other causes. These findings indicate that family planning educators and health care providers should give more emphasis to counseling programs for women desiring IUD insertion and during follow-up.