Survival on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis over 12 years with emphasis on nutritional parameters.

We analyzed the prognostic importance of nutritional markers and mortality data in 537 hemodialysis (HD) and 422 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients followed for up to 12 years. Patients on HD had a 44% lower risk of mortality than did those treated with PD (P: < 0.0001). The difference in mortality between the modalities was even more striking among diabetics but less striking among younger patients. Over a 12-year period, survival of dialysis patients with lower enrollment levels of albumin, creatinine, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were significantly lower. In multivariate Cox's proportional hazards models, serum prealbumin and enrollment PTH level of <65 pg/mL were independent predictors of mortality both in HD and PD patients. In conclusion, HD patients had higher cumulative survival than PD patients over a 12-year period. Nutritional markers at enrollment continue to be strong predictors of mortality for up to 12 years.