title: Association of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients with the number of days of high mean 24-hour particulate matter with a diameter of <2.5 μm.
abstract: Uremic pruritus (UP) is a common and incapacitating symptom in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The pathogenesis of UP is multifactorial and complex. Particulate matter (PM), a major air pollutant, is a mixture of particles with various chemical compositions. PM is associated with several allergic diseases, including dermatitis. To assess the role of PM (PM with a diameter of <10 μm [PM10] and PM with a diameter of <2.5 μm [PM2.5]) and other clinical variables in UP in patients on HD, we recruited 866 patients on maintenance HD (MHD). We analyzed the number of days of mean 24-hour PM10≥125 μg/m3/12 months (NDPM10) or the number of days of mean 24-hour PM2.5≥35 μg/m3/12 months (NDPM2.5) exceeding the standard level in the past 12 months respectively to determine the association with UP. In a multivariate logistic regression, HD duration, serum ferritin levels, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, and NDPM2.5≥116 days/12 months were positively associated with UP. This cross-sectional study showed that the number of days on which the environmental PM2.5exceeds the standard level might be associated with UP in patients on MHD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry.
authors.forename: Ming-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology and Toxicology Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center.
authors.forename: Ming-Jen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology and Toxicology Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ching-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology and Toxicology Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cheng-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology and Toxicology Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Tzung-Hai
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology and Toxicology Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center; Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wen-Hung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: PM2.5; air pollution; environmental particulate matter; uremic pruritus