Dermodialysis as Adjuvant Therapy in Renal Failure

Although dialysis has been considered as a life-saving treatment for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, many ESRD patients in developing countries don't have access to dialysis facilities . Using sweat as the vehicle for removing molecules normally excreted in the urine(dermodialysis) was identified some decades ago. Sweat fluid mainly contains sodium chloride, potassium, urea, ammonia, uric acid, and creatinine. The mean sweat fluid urea concentration could reach 5.5 to 50 times the serum concentration . In particular, urea concentrations in human sweat are persistently elevated in uremic patients . The 24-hour urinary urea excretion in summer was as much as one-quarter of the quantity in winter in uremic patients, indicating the compensatory urea excretion in sweat gland fluid .This high level of urea and other toxic molecules crystallize out and deposit visibly on the skin when the water of the sweat evaporates off ('uremic frost') .Sweat K concentration was significantly higher in ESRD patients . Pruijm, El-Housseini et al reported that stimulated sweating can be an effective way to reduce intradialytic weight gain(IDWG) in hemodialysis( HD)patients. These findings indicated that dermodialysis can be used to delay the requirement for and to reduce the frequency of dialysis and to improve the quality of lives of ESRD patients especially in the developing World where economic and technical support barriers to the provision of dialysis are present.

Sweating can be stimulated by many methods like physical exercise ,saunas and drugs like pilocarpine. Traditional dry saunas use temperatures as high as 185 to 195 degrees F, which is too much for some patients to tolerate. Infrared saunas use a much lower temperature (120 to 150 degrees F). However, because the heat of infrared saunas travels much deeper into the body, they are able to cause a more vigorous sweat at lower temperature. Infrared sauna has many benefits like normalizing blood pressure , treating congestive heart failure, weight loss and relieving of chronic pain.

Head out water immersion was used many times in ESRD patients. Pruijm, El-Housseini et al concluded that immersion in hot bath (temperature 37-43C) was effective method of stimulating sweating and reducing IDWG. Intradialytic hypotension could be prevented by water immersion.

Primary objective:- Evaluation of feasibility of dermodialysis as adjuvant replacement therapy for ESRD patients to decrease the cost of dialysis facilities (one third of the total cost).

Secondary objectives:-

1. Improve uremic pruritus.
2. Better control of blood pressure.
3. Decrease interdialytic weight gain.
4. Comparing the effectiveness of infra-red sauna, exercise and combination of infra-red sauna and head out water immersion as modality of dermodialysis The study will include 66 ESRD patients and 20 CKD stage 5 patients not on dialysis who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. The ESRD patients will be subdivided into three group, each group will include 22 patients .Each group will be subjected to Detailed history and Careful examination. The study will be conducted over a period of three months(for each patient). During the first month, patients will be dialyzed as usual (control phase). Detailed information on blood pressure, interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), and dialysis prescription will be recorded. S Cr, BUN, serum K and serum phosphorus will be measured weekly immediately before the last dialysis session for one month and the mean will be calculated. During the next two months the patient will be dialysed twice weekly on Saturday and Wednesday. during the in-between three days(Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) the three groups subjected to intervention as the following :- Group 1:-three session of infra-red sauna of 15 minutes duration separated by ten minutes rest outside the sauna.

Group 2:-three session of physical exercise of 20-30 minutes duration separated by 10 minutes rest.

Group 3:-three session of infra-red sauna as the first group then the patients will be immersed up to neck for one hour in water at 37-43 C.

Detailed information on IDWG, blood pressure, any improvement in uremic pruritus will be recorded. Body temperature before and after the intervention will be measured and recorded. Assessment of uremic pruritus according to verbal rating scale (VRS) which divided into four level:-0=no symptom, 1=mild, 2= moderate, 3=sever or intense symptom. Dialysis prescription and diet will be fixed as possible to be similar to the control phase.

S Cr, BUN, serum K and serum phosphorus will be measured weekly immediately before the last dialysis session (Wednesday) for two months and the mean will be calculated. The patients will be admitted in internal medicine department in the dialysis free period to be under close observation. Dialysis will be done if there is urgent indication in the dialysis free days.

The CKD group :- The patients will be subjected to Detailed history and Careful examination. The study will be conducted over a period of three months. During the first month (control phase), S Cr, BUN, serum K and serum phosphorus will be measured weekly and the mean will be calculated. During the next two months the patient will be subjected to three session of sauna of 15 minutes duration separated by ten minutes rest outside the sauna then the patients will be immersed up to neck for one hour in water at 37 -43 C . Body temperature before and after the intervention will be measured and recorded. During the intervention phase, S Cr, BUN, serum K and serum phosphorus will be measured weekly and the mean will be calculated. During the period of rest the patients will consume sufficient amount of water to avoid dehydration .Blood pressure will be monitored and recorded. Dialysis will be done if there is urgent indication or standard indication for dialysis according to KDOQI guide lines 2015.