Morbidity and mortality of CAPD and hemodialysis.

We have reappraised studies on morbidity and mortality in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), comparing it with hemodialysis (HD), the standard treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). More hospitalization is required for CAPD, the difference being related to peritonitis, to the more frequent presence of some risk factors (such as diabetes and atherosclerosis) in the patients selected for CAPD, and to the lack of experience in the early years of CAPD practice. CAPD patients have less acute morbidity during treatment that not always requires hospitalization: hypotension, hypertension, arrhythmias, and myocardial ischemia. Cardiac performance is also better in CAPD patients, who develop less myocardial hypertrophy than HD patients. Hospitalization due to infectious disease not referable to technique, beta 2-microglobulin related morbidity, signs of uremic neuropathy, osteodystrophy, and malnutrition are similar in both groups. Method survival is better for HD, the difference being completely accounted for by peritonitis. Patient survival adjusted for pre-treatment differences is similar in CAPD and HD, and this is not an artifact of more drop-outs on CAPD. A high incidence of peritonitis is accompanied by an increased risk of death. Older patients have a lesser risk of death on CAPD than on HD. Diabetics have a worse survival than non-diabetics, with no difference between the two methods. Although patient survivals on CAPD and HD are the same, differences in the mode of blood purification have an interesting impact on particular aspects of morbidity.