Dermatologic manifestations in patients of renal disease on hemodialysis

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is recognized as a significant medical problem in our part of the world.It refers to an irreversible deterioration in renal function which classically develops over a period of years. The disorder has five stages and the stage 5, also called end stage renal failure (ESRF), is a severe illness and requires some form of renal replacement therapy (dialysis or renal transplant). Cutaneous and mucosal changes are a common finding in patients of ESRF and on long-term hemodialysis and can vary from each patient population to another. The commonly seen dermatologic manifestations associated with ESRF are xerosis, pruritus, pallor, fungal, bacterial and viral infections, xerostomia, scalp hair loss, nail changes like half-and-half nails and splinter hemorrhages. The cutaneous manifestations related to hemodialysis are skin infections, arteriovenous shunt dermatitis, gynecomastia, bullous disease of dialysis etc. The present review does not highlight cutaneous changes of diseases associated with the development of ESRF but it familiarizes clinicians about the dermatologic changes in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing hemodialysis