Ping‑Hsun Lua,b, Xiao‑Feng Yaoc, Yang‑Sheng Lind,e,f, I‑Shiang Tzengg, Po‑Hsuan Luc,d*, Ko‑Lin Kuob,h,i*
aDepartment of Chinese Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan, bSchool of Post‑Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, cDepartment of Dermatology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, dDepartment of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei, Taiwan, eDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, fGraduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, gDepartment of Research, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan, hSchool of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, iDivision of Nephrology, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan
Open Access funded by Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation
Abstract
Uremic pruritus (UP) is common in the late stages of chronic kidney disease. Currently, there is a lack of effective treatment for UP. Limited evidence exists on the therapeutic effect of omega‑3 fatty acid (O3FA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of O3FA supplements in UP patients. We evaluated the efficacy of O3FA supplements in patients with UP through a systematic review and a meta‑analysis of randomized control trials retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials. gov databases. The included studies were summarized and assessed for the risk of bias, and pruritus assessment results were analyzed. To compared with a controlled group, five articles including 164 participants published between 2012 and 2019 using different pruritus scales reported that patients taking O3FA supplement exhibited no significant decrease in the pruritus score (standardized mean difference [SMD] =1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −2.70–0.01, P = 0.05), but three articles using same pruritus scale significant decrease Duo pruritus score (SMD = −0.85, 95% CI = −1.39 to −0.30, P < 0.05). O3FA supplement could be an appealing complementary therapy for UP patients. More rigorously designed studies are needed before recommending the O3FA supplement.
Keywords: Chronic kidney disease, Dialysis, Meta‑analysis, Omega‑3 fatty acid, Uremic pruritus
