A Rare Cause of Pruritus That is Seen Frequently in Hemodialysis Patients: Kyrle’s Disease

Abstract

Uremic pruritus is a common complication of chronic renal failure. It affects approximately half of patients undergoing dialysis treatment. Even if the pruritus is not hazardous alone, it causes physical and mental fatigue, insomnia, chronic fatigue, decrease in self care ability and life quality. The causes of pruritus and the pathophysiology are stil not fully understood. Xerosis, intradermal microprecipitation of divalent ions, secondary hyperparathyroidism, peripheral neuropathy, allergic reactions, hypersensitivity and histamine have been considered as pathogenetic factors. Kyrle’s disease is a rare disorder of keratinization which is one of the perforating disorders of the skin. Herein, we report a case of Kyrle’s disease which is seen rarely, as a cause of pruritus in a 68 year old female patient who is on regular hemodialysis treatment secondary to end stage renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy, in the light of existing literature.