Sudden Death Risk Factors in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Identified

Perit Dial Int. 2009;29:58-63

Recent blood transfusions, male gender, and diabetes mellitus are independently associated with an increased risk of sudden death in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD), a Chinese study concluded.

The study, by Kai Ming Chow, MD, and collaborators at Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, included 72 PD patients: 24 who experienced sudden death and 48 controls. The sudden death and control groups were similar with respect to age (mean age 61 and 56 years, respectively), median duration of dialysis (3.1 and 2.1 years), and most other demographic variables as well as clinical and laboratory parameters.

After adjusting for confounders, a recent blood transfusion (within one year) was independently associated with a significant fivefold increased risk of sudden death, a finding that the researchers noted was “relatively unexpected.”

Male gender and diabetes mellitus increased the risk of sudden death four- and fivefold, respectively.

From the April 01, 2009 Issue of Renal and Urology News