Clinical trial NCT05341843: Sertraline Effect in Uremic Pruritis
Official title: Effectiveness of Sertraline in Alleviating Uremic Pruritis in Hemodialysis Patients
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Uremic Pruritis
Keywords: sertraline, hemodialysis
Lead sponsor: Alexandria University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-04-22
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: This research is a double-blinded randomized multicentric clinical trial in which 50 haemodialysis patients will be randomly assigned to one of the study groups using block randomization with a ratio of 1:1.

* Group A: 25 patients will receive sertraline at the intended dose of 50 mg twice daily for 8 weeks.
* Group B: 25 patients will receive a placebo.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study aims to assess the effect of sertraline on uremic pruritis in patients undergoing regular haemodialysis.

Detailed description: The reported prevalence of uremic pruritus in adult hemodialysis patients has varied over the years, and some studies suggest the prevalence may be decreasing with more effective dialysis. One of the largest trials (the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study \[DOPPS\]) reported that the prevalence of moderate pruritus remained constant at 18 percent until 2015.

A direct role for proinflammatory T cells and cytokines is suggested by studies that showed higher levels of proinflammatory T helper-1 (TH1) cells, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and interleukin-2 levels among hemodialysis patients versus those without pruritus. Also, histamine release from mast cells, other pruritogens and xerosis have been all implicated in the pathogenesis of uremic pruritus.

Less convincing associations have also been made to anemia, male sex, increased beta-2 microglobulin levels, serotype human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B35, and comorbidities including congestive heart failure and neurologic disease. The risk of uremic pruritis appears to be independent of ethnicity, type of dialysis, and underlying renal disease. No single cause underlying uremic pruritus has been identified. Multiple factors have been associated in observational studies, and supportive therapies that are used to treat uremic pruritus have targeted such factors.

High quality evidence on which to base recommendations for the treatment of uremic pruritus is limited. Many pharmacologic treatments have been proposed for uremic pruritis through different clinical trials. However, the results were quite variable and most of these studies were small uncontrolled trials and hence they were flawed.

Several studies have revealed that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) could reduce the severity of pruritus. Sertraline hydrochloride is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor which established improvement in itching in patients with cholestatic pruritis. This was supported by Browning et al. (2003) whose study showed 86% of subjects who had been given sertraline for another indication improved considerably with pruritus disappearing in 30% of the subjects.

Generally, most of the previous research has tended to focus on cholestatic pruritis rather than uremic pruritis. Although enough is known to determine a reasonable approach to a patient with uremic pruritus, more research is needed to understand the pathophysiology of this condition and to establish more reliable treatments. Hence, this study is organized in an attempt to find out the effect of sertraline on alleviation of uremic pruritus.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. ≥1 month of maintenance haemodialysis, 3 times per week for 4 hours.
2. Adult patients with ages between 18-80 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Primary skin diseases (eczema, psoriasis, allergic dermatitis or drug rash).
2. Peripheral neuropathy, thyroid disease, leukemia, lymphoma, liver disease, Systemic lupus erythematosus or pregnancy.
3. Patients who consumed emollients cream, antihistamine, opioid antagonist, immunosuppressants, cholestyramine, corticosteroids or UVB phototherapy 1 month before study.
4. calcium X phosphorus (Ca X P) \>55.0 mg/dl, P \>5.5 mg/dl, parathyroid hormone (PTH) \>450 pg/ml.
5. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors intolerance.

Primary outcomes:
measure: change in uremic pruritis intensity
timeFrame: 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Alexandria
country: Egypt
facility: Faculty of Medicine, Aexandria University
Study officials:
affiliation: lecturer
name: Mohamed Mamdouh Elsayed, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: professor
name: Sherif aziz Zaki, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: professor
name: Iman ezzat El Gohary, MD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Resident
name: Heidi Hesham Abd El Hamid, MBBCh
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Patel TS, Freedman BI, Yosipovitch G. An update on pruritus associated with CKD. Am J Kidney Dis. 2007 Jul;50(1):11-20. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2007.03.010.
citation: Pisoni RL, Wikstrom B, Elder SJ, Akizawa T, Asano Y, Keen ML, Saran R, Mendelssohn DC, Young EW, Port FK. Pruritus in haemodialysis patients: International results from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS). Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2006 Dec;21(12):3495-505. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfl461. Epub 2006 Sep 12.
citation: Pauli-Magnus C, Mikus G, Alscher DM, Kirschner T, Nagel W, Gugeler N, Risler T, Berger ED, Kuhlmann U, Mettang T. Naltrexone does not relieve uremic pruritus: results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2000 Mar;11(3):514-519. doi: 10.1681/ASN.V113514.
citation: Rayner HC, Larkina M, Wang M, Graham-Brown M, van der Veer SN, Ecder T, Hasegawa T, Kleophas W, Bieber BA, Tentori F, Robinson BM, Pisoni RL. International Comparisons of Prevalence, Awareness, and Treatment of Pruritus in People on Hemodialysis. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 Dec 7;12(12):2000-2007. doi: 10.2215/CJN.03280317. Epub 2017 Sep 18.
citation: Kimmel M, Alscher DM, Dunst R, Braun N, Machleidt C, Kiefer T, Stulten C, van der Kuip H, Pauli-Magnus C, Raub U, Kuhlmann U, Mettang T. The role of micro-inflammation in the pathogenesis of uraemic pruritus in haemodialysis patients. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2006 Mar;21(3):749-55. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfi204. Epub 2005 Oct 25.
citation: Fallahzadeh MK, Roozbeh J, Geramizadeh B, Namazi MR. Interleukin-2 serum levels are elevated in patients with uremic pruritus: a novel finding with practical implications. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2011 Oct;26(10):3338-44. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfr053. Epub 2011 Mar 3.
citation: Charlesworth EN, Beltrani VS. Pruritic dermatoses: overview of etiology and therapy. Am J Med. 2002 Dec 16;113 Suppl 9A:25S-33S. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(02)01434-1.
citation: Stander S, Bockenholt B, Schurmeyer-Horst F, Weishaupt C, Heuft G, Luger TA, Schneider G. Treatment of chronic pruritus with the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors paroxetine and fluvoxamine: results of an open-labelled, two-arm proof-of-concept study. Acta Derm Venereol. 2009;89(1):45-51. doi: 10.2340/00015555-0553.
citation: Mayo MJ, Handem I, Saldana S, Jacobe H, Getachew Y, Rush AJ. Sertraline as a first-line treatment for cholestatic pruritus. Hepatology. 2007 Mar;45(3):666-74. doi: 10.1002/hep.21553.
citation: Snit M, Gawlik R, Lacka-Gazdzik B, Kuzniewicz R, Dwornicki M, Owczarek A, Walaszczyk M, Grabiec P, Grzeszczak W. Substance P and intensity of pruritus in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. Med Sci Monit. 2013 Sep 2;19:723-32. doi: 10.12659/MSM.889349.
citation: Ko MJ, Wu HY, Chen HY, Chiu YL, Hsu SP, Pai MF, Ju-Yehyang, Lai CF, Lu HM, Huang SC, Yang SY, Wen SY, Chiu HC, Hu FC, Peng YS, Jee SH. Uremic pruritus, dialysis adequacy, and metabolic profiles in hemodialysis patients: a prospective 5-year cohort study. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 6;8(8):e71404. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071404. Print 2013.
citation: Wu HY, Peng YS, Chen HY, Tsai WC, Yang JY, Hsu SP, Pai MF, Lu HM, Chiang JF, Ko MJ, Wen SY, Chiu HC. A Comparison of Uremic Pruritus in Patients Receiving Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2016 Mar;95(9):e2935. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000002935.
citation: Elman S, Hynan LS, Gabriel V, Mayo MJ. The 5-D itch scale: a new measure of pruritus. Br J Dermatol. 2010 Mar;162(3):587-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2009.09586.x. Epub 2009 Dec 1.