Comparison of long-term outcomes between Chinese peritoneal dialysis patients with and without diabetes: A 10-year cohort study

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients with and without diabetes in southern China.

This retrospective and observational cohort study included all adult patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who received PD in our center from January 2009 to December 2017 and were followed until December 2019. Clinical outcomes were compared by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and cumulative incidence function, and risk factors were estimated using Cox regression analyses and competing risk models.

Of 401 patients receiving PD, 120 (29.9%) had type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and 281 (70.1%) did not have diabetes mellitus (NDM). Patients with DM were older and had more cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidities than patients without DM. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with DM had shorter survival (Log-rank 3.215, P < 0.0001) compared with patients without DM. Patients with DM had a lower death-censored technique survival (Log-rank 2.029, P = 0.0180), however, there was no significant difference in peritonitis-free period (Log rank 1.375, P = 0.1133). These results were reproduced after taking competing events into account. Both on multivariate Cox analysis and on multivariate competing risk regression, diabetes was an independent predictor for increased mortality and technique failure, but not for peritonitis-free survival.

Patients undergoing PD with DM had increased risk of mortality and technique failure, and closer monitoring and additional focus in patients with DM treated by PD are, therefore, warranted.