Incidence of new-onset diabetes mellitus and association with mortality in childhood solid organ transplant recipients: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Precise estimates of the long-term risk of new-onset diabetes and its impact on mortality among transplanted children are not known. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study comparing children undergoing solid organ (kidney, heart, liver, lung and multiple organ) transplant (n = 1020) between 1991 and 2014 with healthy non-transplanted children (n = 7 134 067) using Ontario health administrative data. Outcomes included incidence of diabetes among transplanted and non-transplanted children, the relative hazard of diabetes among solid organ transplant recipients, overall and at specific intervals posttransplant, and mortality among diabetic transplant recipients. RESULTS: During 56 019 824 person-years of follow-up, the incidence rate of diabetes was 17.8 [95% confidence interval (CI) 15-21] and 2.5 (95% CI 2.5-2.5) per 1000 person-years among transplanted and non-transplanted children, respectively. The transplant cohort had a 9-fold [hazard ratio (HR) 8.9; 95% CI 7.5-10.5] higher hazard of diabetes compared with those not transplanted. Risk was highest within the first year after transplant (HR 20.7; 95% CI 15.9-27.1), and remained elevated even at 5 and 10 years of follow-up. Lung and multiple organ recipients had a 5-fold (HR 5.4; 95% CI 3.0-9.8) higher hazard of developing diabetes compared with kidney transplant recipients. Transplant recipients with diabetes had a three times higher hazard of death compared with those who did not develop diabetes (HR 3.3; 95% CI 2.3-4.8). CONCLUSIONS: The elevated risk of diabetes in transplant recipients persists even after a decade, highlighting the importance of ongoing surveillance. Diabetes after transplantation increases the risk of mortality among childhood transplant recipients.

The role of functional status in discharge to assisted care facilities and in-hospital death among dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Functional status is an important component in the assessment of hospitalized patients. We set out to determine the scope, severity, and prognostic significance of impaired functional status in acutely hospitalized dialysis patients. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 1,286 hospitalized dialysis patients admitted and discharged from 1 of 11 area hospitals in Manitoba, Canada, from September 2003 to September 2010 with an activity of daily living (ADL) assessment within 24 hours of admission. PREDICTOR: The 12-point ADL score assesses 6 domains (bathing, toileting, dressing, incontinence, feeding, and transferring) and scores them as independent or supervision only (score, 0), partial assistance (1), and full assistance (2). Thus, higher score indicates worse functional status. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used as appropriate to determine differences in baseline characteristics. OUTCOMES: Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards assessed the association between functional status, in-hospital death, and discharge to an assisted care facility. RESULTS: During the study period, 250 (19.4%) and 72 (5.6%) patients experienced the outcomes of in-hospital death or discharge to an assisted care facility. Abnormalities in functional status were present in >70% of the cohort. ADL score within 24 hours of admission combined with age differentiated risks of death and discharge to an assisted care facility home, ranging from 4.8%-46.6% and 0.6%-17.8%, respectively. After adjustment, ORs of death and discharge to an assisted care facility were 1.16 (95% CI, 1.11-1.22; P < 0.001; C statistic = 0.79) and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.14-1.36; P < 0.001; C statistic = 0.91) per 1-point increase in ADL score, respectively. Findings were consistent after accounting for the competing outcomes of in-hospital death or discharge to an assisted care facility versus discharge to home. LIMITATIONS: A 1-time measurement of ADLs could not differentiate temporary from long-term deterioration in functional status. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired functional status is common at the time of admission in the dialysis population. A single ADL score measurement at admission combined with age is highly predictive of poor outcomes in the hospitalized dialysis population.

Differences in survival on peritoneal dialysis between oriental Asians and Caucasians: one center's experience.

BACKGROUND: Recently it has been suggested that the survival of dialysis patients may differ among different races. Both registry data and data from Asian countries indicates that Asians on peritoneal dialysis may survive longer than their Caucasian counterparts. In the present study, we performed a detailed analysis of survival differences between oriental Asians and Caucasians on peritoneal dialysis in our multiethnic, multicultural program. METHODS: Retrospectively we analyzed the survival data for patients who started peritoneal dialysis after January 1, 1996 and before December 31, 1999, in our hospital. They were followed for at least for two years. Excluded from the present analysis were those who survived for less than three months on peritoneal dialysis. The patient demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and residual renal function at the start of dialysis were collected. Indices for adequacy of dialysis were collected 1-3 months after the initiation of dialysis. Actuarial survival rates were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to classify risk factors for a high mortality. RESULTS: There were 87 Caucasians and 29 Oriental Asian peritoneal dialysis patients. No differences were found in age, gender, primary renal disease, and residual renal function between the two groups. The Caucasians had significantly higher body surface area and urea volume and higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Even with slightly higher dialysis dose, the peritoneal creatinine clearance was significantly lower among the Caucasians than among Asians. There was no difference in the peritoneal D/P value between the two groups. However, compared to the Caucasians, the 24hr peritoneal fluid removal and total fluid removal volumes were significantly lower in the Asian patients. The one, two, three and four year survival rates were 95.8%, 91%, 86% and 80% for Asians and 91.3%, 78.1%, 64.7% and 54.1% for Caucasians. Significant predictors for a higher mortality were the presence of cardiovascular disease (42% increase in risk), Caucasians (39% increase in risk) and older age (37% increase in risk for age older than 65). CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that oriental Asians on peritoneal dialysis patients survive much longer than their Caucasian counterparts; this was partly due to the fact that Asian patients have less cardiovascular disease when they began peritoneal dialysis. Due to their smaller body size, the Asians tended to have a higher peritoneal small solute clearances despite their smaller dialysis doses, indicating that, to achieve the same solute clearance targets, Asians need a smaller dialysis dose compared to Caucasians.

Hypotension in patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis: etiology, management, and outcome.

We retrospectively evaluated the phenomenon of arterial hypotension in peritoneal dialysis (PD) in a large cohort of 633 PD patients from two centers (Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada, and Division of Nephrology, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece), thus extending our previously reported experience for an additional 6 years (1995-2000). Together, the units had 81 hypotensive patients (12.8%), whose mean age was 63.8 +/- 14.2 years and whose mean duration of peritoneal dialysis was 49.3 +/- 30 months. Based on the underlying pathophysiology, the hypotensive PD patients were divided into four groups: (A) hypovolemia, 32 patients (39.5%); (B) congestive heart failure (CHF), 15 patients (18.5%); (C) receiving antihypertensive medications, 11 patients (13.6%); and (D) "unknown" etiology, 23 patients (28.4%). All patients in the hypovolemic and antihypertensive groups responded well to treatment (volume expansion and discontinuation of antihypertensive medication, respectively), but in the CHF and "unknown" groups, only 40% improved with the appropriate intervention. Patients in the latter two groups showed the poorest prognosis, with an approximate death rate of 65%. The hypovolemic group had better outcomes, which might reflect prompt response to fluid replacement in that group. We conclude that, in PD patients, careful use of antihypertensive medication, the right evaluation of target weight (especially in patients with cardiac failure), and judicious use of hypertonic exchanges may prevent the severe complication of arterial hypotension.