Uremic pruritus is a common and intractable symptom in patients on chronic hemodialysis. It causes serious discomfort
and skin damage, negatively affects the quality of life, and may be associated with sleep disturbance, inflammation, and
higher mortality . The aim of the present study was to assess serum level of osteopontin [OPN] in patients with uremic
pruritus undergoing hemodialysis and evaluation of its clinical significance and its role in the pathogenesis of Uremic
Pruritis. This is a case control study that was conducted on 80 patients with end stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis;
40 of them were suffering from uremic pruritus [Group A] and 40 patients were not suffering from it [Group B]. All patients
were recruited from the hemodialysis unit of Benha University Hospital between May 2017 and July 2018, All studied
subjects were tested for serum level of Osteopontin[Opn] in both patients groups using an ELISA technique, the results of the
study revealed that OPN showed 95 % sensitivity and 90 % specificity in predicting pruritus in CKD patients undergoing
hemodialysis when the cut off value 50 pg/ml. Osteopontin [OPN] may play a role in the pathogenesis of uremic pruritus and
can be used as a sensitive biomarker in predicting UP in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.