Disappearance of Uremic Itching after Subtotal Parathyroidectomy

ALTHOUGH many uremic symptoms can be improved or prevented by adequate dialysis1 others, including anemia, peripheral neuropathy, secondary hyperparathyroidism and hypertension, to name only a few,2 frequently persist and may inexorably worsen. One such symptom that may not respond to intensive dialysis is pruritus, which on occasion, can be so severe as to be totally incapacitating. In the course of treating patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism by means of subtotal parathyroidectomy, we have found that the pruritus that had been an annoying symptom in some of these patients disappeared shortly after surgery. This brief report documents our experience with five . . .