Risk factors for high dialysate glucose use in PD patients--a retrospective 5-year cohort study

Use of high concentrations of glucose for peritoneal dialysis (PD) may produce unfavorable results. Our previous study showed that high initial glucose load is associated with poor PD technique survival.

This retrospective cohort study at a medical center in Taiwan aimed to understand the factors associated with high glucose load in long-term PD patients.

We reviewed 90 newly started PD patients over 5 years. We determined glucose load by calculating annual glucose weight and dialysate volume administered. Multiple linear regression analyses with time-dependent covariates were used to determine factors that influence the annual average dialysate glucose concentration.

The study group included 47 men and 43 women with a mean age of 53.4 +/- 13.9 years. Technique survival rates were 91.0%, 84.1%, and 77.6% at the beginning of the second, third, and fourth year of PD therapy respectively. The presence of diabetes mellitus (DM), high body mass index (BMI), and low weekly renal Kt/V were significantly correlated with high average dialysate glucose concentration during the first, second, and third years. For patients undergoing PD for more than 3 years, residual renal function (RRF) deteriorated, and only DM significantly affected higher dialysate glucose concentration in the fourth year.

Patients with DM, high BMI, and low RRF were more likely to require a high glucose load for PD therapy, especially during the first 3 years. After those 3 years of PD, DM was the only significant factor in the need for higher glucose load. To reduce the glucose load in chronic PD patients, alternative osmotic agents such as icodextrin or amino acids should be considered in the daily PD regimen.