Comparative Study between Sertraline and Omega-3 Supplementation in The Treatment of Uremic Pruritus in Hemodialysis Patient

Background: Pruritus in uremic patients decreases the quality of life because of sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety, thus, pruritus remains an important health issue in ESRD patients.  Aim of the work:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sertraline versus omega 3 supplementation in the treatment of uremic pruritus. Patients and Methods:This randomized case control study was conducted on patients with ESRD patients .All studied subjects had been collected from the Al-Azhar hospital [Damietta] Dialysis Center. This study had been carried out on 50 patients divided into: Group [A] : consists of 25patients had been received 50 mg sertraline twice a day for 8 weeks. Group [B]: consists of 25 patients and had been receive 3 gm omega-3 daily. Results: Although pruritus severity decrease significantly in both groups and both scoring systems [P< 0.001], the reduction was significantly more in sertraline group [p Conclusion: Omega-3 fatty acids found to be effective in decreasing of uremic pruritus. So, it seems that Omega-3 fatty acids could be used as an efficient drug for treatment of pruritus in uremic patients. The present study showed that low-dose sertraline was effective for antihistamine-refractory uremic pruritus than omeg3 in renal palliative care patients.