Is obesity associated with a survival advantage in patients starting peritoneal dialysis?
BACKGROUND
Obesity has been found to be associated with a survival advantage in hemodialysis patients. Results from studies in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are inconsistent. The aim of this paper was to study the association between obesity and mortality in the PD population in the Netherlands Co-operative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis-2 (NECOSAD) cohort and critically discuss the observational data from an epidemiological perspective.


METHODS
Patients starting PD were selected from the Netherlands Co-operative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis-2 (NECOSAD), a prospective cohort study in incident dialysis patients in The Netherlands and followed for 5 years. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate relative risk of mortality (hazard ratios (HR) with 95% CIs) of baseline and time-dependent BMI, with a BMI of 18.5-25 as the reference.


RESULTS
In total, 688 patients with end-stage renal disease starting with PD were included (66% men, age: 53 +/- 15 years, BMI: 24.6 +/- 3.8 kg/m2). At the start of dialysis, 8.4% of the patients were obese (BMI > or =30). Compared with a normal BMI, obesity at the start of PD (BMI > or =30) was associated with a HR of 0.8 (0.5, 1.3). Time-dependently, this was 0.7 (0.4, 1.2). The HR of BMI < 18.5 at the start of PD was 1.3 (95% CI: 0.4, 3.2), and time-dependently this was 2.3 (1.0, 5.3).


CONCLUSIONS
Observational data suggest that PD patients who are obese at the start of dialysis do not have a worse survival compared with PD patients with a normal BMI. PD patients with a low BMI during dialysis have a twofold increased mortality risk. However, it can be argued to what extent the observed association between BMI and mortality in the dialysis population can be causally interpreted.
de Mutsert
Renée
R
Grootendorst
Diana C
DC
Boeschoten
Elisabeth W
EW
Dekker
Friedo W
FW
Krediet
Raymond T
RT
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate