Comparisons of peritoneal function between diabetic and nondiabetic patients with end stage renal disease

Peritoneal function is the major determinant of the efficiency of peritoneal dialysis. To understand whether diabetes affects the peritoneal function, we performed the peritoneal clearance study in 9 diabetic and 16 nondiabetic patients with end stage renal disease. The ultrafiltration volume tended to be lower in diabetics after infusion of 1.5% Dianeal, although there were no statistically significant differences between them. The same results were obtained after infusion of 4.25% Dianeal. The glucose uptake after infusion of both 1.5% and 4.25% Dianeal was not significantly different between the two groups. The dialysate/plasma(D/P) concentration ratio was also not significantly different between the two groups, however the D/P ratio for BUN and uric acid was slightly higher in the diabetic group. The peritoneal clearance of smaller molecules such as BUN, creatinine, uric acid and phosphate also tended to be higher in diabetics after infusion of 1.5% Dianeal for 4 hours. The peritoneal clearance became higher when more hyperosmotic dialysate were used in both diabetics and nondiabetics. The above results indicated that diabetic patients with end stage renal disease might have a normal peritoneal function compared to nondiabetics.