title: The impact of social support on the survival of Chinese peritoneal dialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social support is an independent risk factor for mortality among new hemodialysis patients. We evaluated the effect of social support on the outcome of Chinese peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 167 prevalent PD patients. They completed the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, Chinese Version (MOS-SSS-C) questionnaire. Patients were followed for 1 year. Outcome measures included change in nutritional status, hospitalization, and technique and actuarial patient survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Actuarial survival was 57.1%, 72.7%, 85.3%, and 88.6% for MOS-SSS-C total score quartiles I, II, III, and IV, respectively (log rank test, p = 0.037). Technique survival was 57.1%, 81.9%, 91.9%, and 91.4% (log rank test, p = 0.0044). By multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazard model to adjust for confounders, every 1 point increase in MOS-SSS-C total score was associated with a 0.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2%-0.9%, p = 0.003] reduction in the risk of death and a 0.5% (95%CI 0.1%-1.0%, p = 0.037) reduction in the risk of technique failure. The MOS-SSS-C score had no significant effect on change in nutritional or dialysis adequacy indices, hospitalization, or number of peritonitis episodes in 1 year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The degree of social support is an important predictor of actuarial and technique survival in Chinese PD patients. Measures to enhance social support may represent an easily achievable means of improving the clinical outcome of PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China. ccszeto@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Cheuk-Chun
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Szeto
authors.forename: Kai-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Bonnie Ching-Ha
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.forename: Man-Ching
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Kwok-Yi
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Chi-Bon
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Philip Kam-Tao
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013534:Survival