Impact of early-onset peritonitis on mortality and technique survival in peritoneal dialysis patients

BACKGROUND: Early onset peritonitis (EOP) is not uncommon in peritoneal dialysis patients. We aimed to compare the prognosis of EOP and non-EOP peritoneal dialysis patients. METHODS: This study included subjects that underwent PD from January 1, 2004 to July 31, 2013. Patient characteristics were collected. EOP was defined as peritonitis occurring within 6 months after initiation of PD. Patient and technique survival were compared between EOP and non-EOP patients using Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: In total, 189 subjects were included in this study. Patients were divided into EOP (n = 55) and non-EOP groups (n = 134). There was no significant difference in the causative organisms of peritonitis between the two groups. After adjusting for age, diabetes status, serum albumin level and residual renal function, the multivariable Cox regression model revealed that EOP was an independent risk factor for patient mortality (HR 2.03, RI 1.09–3.80, p = 0.026), technique failure (HR 1.69, RI 1.12–2.87, p = 0.015) and total survival (HR 1.73, RI 1.12–2.68, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: EOP was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality and technique failure in peritoneal dialysis patients.