Improving survival in dialysis patients

University scientists have published data from a landmark study that explains why survival in patients on peritoneal dialysis is low. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment for over 250,000 patients with chronic kidney disease worldwide, using the patient's peritoneum in the abdomen. Currently, only one in ten PD patients survives beyond 10 years on dialysis. For each one-year increase in the patient's age, the risk of death increases by 4% and patients with diabetes have a 30% increased risk of death. Scientists have now discovered that inflammation in the body and in the peritoneal cavity (where dialysis is performed) are a separate process, which has implications for both the ability to perform dialysis and patient survival. In effect, systemic (whole body) inflammation controls the outcome (survival) whilst peritoneal inflammation controls membrane survival. Professor Nicholas Topley from the School of Medicine and Professor Simon Davies from Keele University designed the study that has taken 12 years to complete: "Improving survival and doing better dialysis to improve quality of life is the key goal of our research,"  said Professor Topley. "This study was a hard one to bring home because if its length of follow up and the logistics of collecting patient samples worldwide.