[Skin lesions in chronic renal dialysis].

OBJECTIVE

Cutaneous and mucosal disorders are the most common problems in patients on long-term hemodialysis. The dialysis prolongs the life expectancy, giving time of these changes to manifest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dermatologic problems among patients with chronic renal disease (CRD) undergoing hemodialysis.

METHODS

One hundred forty-five patients with chronic renal disease undergoing hemodialysis were studied. All patients were thoroughly examined for skin changes, hair, nails and mucous membranes by a single examiner and laboratory tests were assessed. The data were stored in a database Microsoft Excel and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The continuous variables were compared using Student's t-test and categorical variables the chi-square test or Fisher's Exact test.

RESULTS

The study included 145 patients, mean age of 53.6 ± 14.7 years, predominantly male (64.1%) and caucasian (90.0%). The average time of dialysis was 43.3 ± 42.3 months. The main underlying diseases were: hypertension in 33.8%, diabetes mellitus in 29.6% and chronic glomerulonephritis in 13.1% of the patients. The main dermatologic manifestations observed were: xerosis in 109 (75.2%), ecchymosis in 87 (60.0%), pruritus in 78 (53.8%) and lentigo in 33 (22.8%) patients.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed the presence of more than one alteration per patient. Cutaneous alterations are frequent in patients on dialysis. Further studies are needed to better characterization and management of these dermatosis.