title: Prevalence and prognosis of hypoglycaemia in patients receiving maintenance dialysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  End-stage renal disease is a common predisposing condition for the development of hypoglycaemia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of hypoglycaemia on the mortality of patients undergoing maintenance dialysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective and descriptive analyses were performed in five dialysis centres in the Republic of Korea between June 2002 and August 2008. We enrolled 1685 patients who had undergone dialysis for at least 1 month.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 453 episodes of hypoglycaemia in 256 of 1685 patients (15.2%); 189 patients (73.8%) had diabetes, whereas the other patients did not. The occurrence of hypoglycaemia in patients receiving dialysis appeared to be a life-threatening complication because 27.0% of patients died within two days of the onset of a hypoglycaemic episode. Older age, low serum albumin levels and infections were independent risk factors for total mortality in these patients. Furthermore, the absence of diabetes, age and serum glucose levels were independent factors associated with early mortality within two days of the development of hypoglycaemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although several factors were associated with mortality, the degree of hypoglycaemia, absence of diabetes and old age were associated with early mortality. Elderly hypoglycaemic patients, especially those without diabetes, should be closely monitored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: E-G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym Kidney Research Institute, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin
keywords: end-stage renal disease; hypoglycaemia; mortality