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Cirrhosis is the eighth leading cause of 'years of lost life' in the United States and accounts for approximately 1% to 2% of all deaths in Europe. Patients with cirrhosis have a high risk of developing acute kidney injury. The clinical characteristics of hepatorenal syndrome ( HRS) are similar to prerenal uremia, but the condition does not respond to volume expansion. HRS type 1 is rapidly progressive whereas HRS type 2 has a slower course often associated with refractory ascites. A number of factors can precipitate HRS such as infections, alcoholic hepatitis, and bleeding. The monitoring, prevention, early detection, and treatment of HRS are essential. This paper reviews the value of early evaluation of renal function based on two new sets of diagnostic criteria. Interventions for HRS type 1 include terlipressin combined with albumin. In HRS type 2, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt ( TIPS) should be considered. For both types of HRS patients should be evaluated for liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic itch (CI) is a frequent and sometimes tormenting symptom in many skin and systemic diseases. In systemic diseases, it mostly appears on primarily unaffected skin. As a sequelae of intense scratching, secondary skin lesions such as excoriations, scars, and prurigo nodularis may occur. Due to the lack of valid pathogenetic concepts and good clinical trials, the therapy of CI remains mostly symptomatic. In Europe almost all drugs used to treat CI are not approved for this indication. CI is frequent in patients with chronic kidney diseases in advanced stages. Gabapentin and pregabalin, anticonvulsants, and centrally acting calcium channel blockers have been shown to exert a profound effect in CI. Furthermore, UVB phototherapy has been proven to attenuate pruritus in uremic patients. Randomized controlled studies have recently shown that nalfurafine, a κ-opioid receptor agonist, is able to ameliorate itch in patients with uremic itch. In patients suffering from cholestatic itch, the anion exchange resin colestyramine and rifampicin are effective antipruritic drugs. Furthermore, µ-opioid receptor antagonists and sertraline may be used to alleviate CI in hepatic diseases. In refractory cases, naso-biliary drainage or albumin dialysis are effective invasive procedures. For the treatment of chronic itch in hematological diseases no controlled trials have been performed so far. The mainstay in these cases is to treat the underlying disease.

Multiple observational studies along with a limited number of randomized clinical trials suggest that intensive hemodialysis (IHD) not only improves outcomes for uremic patients undergoing chronic dialysis but does so with a more favorable cost/benefit ratio compared with conventional hemodialysis. As a result of this, there has been a rapid increase in the interest in home hemodialysis (HHD) as HHD represents the easiest means of implementing IHD. While HHD has generated increased interest given its association with better outcomes/reduced hospitalizations, there are very few randomized controlled trials comparing HHD with other hemodialysis methods. Reported HHD-associated increased survival benefits compared with in-center hemodialysis are from uncontrolled studies, which raise patient selection bias as underlying the differences found. Thus, while HHD draws increasing attention, studies that pay careful attention to the psychosocial, demographic, and clinical factors associated with patients selected to undergo HHD will be needed to ultimately demonstrate its benefits, clarify the clinical applications, and determine the limits of IHD use in dialysis patients., (Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)