Diabetes, dialysis, and nutrition care interaction.

Diabetes is present in the majority of patients who dialyze. If comprehensive care is to be delivered, the enormity of diabetes and its non-renal complications need to be appreciated. These influences on the treatment process, medical nutrition therapy, and glycemic control all interact with one another to determine dialysis adequacy, nutritional status, and degree of glycemic control. By gaining a further understanding of these dynamics, care management strategies can be improved and more thorough patient education provided to achieve better outcomes for this high-risk population.