Pruritus s a very distressing problem affecting patients with uremia and the prevalence of
uremic pruritus (UP) ranges between 22% to 66%. Although some studies suggested pruritus is
being decreased recently by use of better dialysis techniques, accumulating studies have
shown the still high prevalence of UP. Because of its long duration, frequency and high
intensity, UP has been reported to have a negative impact upon the patients' quality of life
(QoL). However, the therapies in use, including antihistamines, ultraviolets, opioid
antagonists and topical agents, are generally of insufficient efficacy, failing to provide
adequate and long-lasting relief. Based on the neuropathic hypothesis and frequent
co-occurrence of chronic pruritus and peripheral neuropathy in the patients undergoing
hemodialysis, gabapentin, a medication widely used for a spectrum of neuropathic pain
syndromes, has recently been suggested to be effective in the treatment of UP.Pregabalin,
another gabaergic drug structurally related to gabapentin, have an advantage over gabapentin
in terms of its more rapid response to stressful symptoms. Only two very recently
small-scaled studies evaluate the effect of pregabalin for UP. However, both these studies
were not randomized, placebo-controlled trails.As UP is still one of the most vexing and
disabling symptoms in patients with ESRD, we decided to do this multicenter, randomized
double-blind placebo-controlled trial (RCT) with a larger sample size and a longer duration.