Opioid receptors expression in the skin of haemodialysis patients suffering from uraemic pruritus.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Uraemic pruritus is a common symptom in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing haemodialysis (HD) treatment. Etiopathogenesis of uraemic pruritus is complex and not fully explained, but there are reports indicating a possible role of peripheral opioid system in its pathomechanism. OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to analyse the expression of mu- and kappa-opioid receptors in the skin of HD patients with and without uraemic pruritus. METHODS: Forty patients suffering from chronic kidney disease, treated with haemodialysis (21 pruritic and 19 non-pruritic), were included. The expression of mu- and kappa-opioid receptors in their skin was evaluated with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The significant (P < 0.02) decrease in kappa-opioid receptor expression was shown in the skin of pruritic patients in comparison with the skin of those without itch (1.07 ± 0.62 and 1.66 ± 0.85, respectively). Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between intensity of pruritus and expression of kappa-opioid receptors (r = -0.63, P = 0.002). There was no difference in the expression of mu-opioid receptor expression in the skin of pruritic and non-pruritic HD patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that changes in peripheral opioid system may play an important role in the uraemic itch pathogenesis and that future studies are necessary to fully understand this mechanism.