DIABETES, HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND OBESITY IN A PERITONEAL-DIALYSIS UNIT - A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Cardiovascular disease appears to be the main cause of mortality in ur emic patients undergoing dialysis. Diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia a nd obesity are well known risk factors for atherosclerosis and its com plications. A cross-sectional descriptive study in the setting of the whole population of patients treated in our peritoneal dialysis (PD) u nit was performed with the aim of assessing the prevalence, importance and interrelationships of the mentioned risk factors in uremic patien ts undergoing PD. At the time of the study there were 69 patients (31 males, 38 females) in our PD program. Mean duration of PD was 17 (1-16 1) months. The following prevalences were found: diabetes mellitus 27 (39.1 %), hyperlipidemia 41 (59.4 %), overweight 13 (18.8 %), and obes ity 9 (13 %) patients. There were no statistically significant relatio nship between the presence of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia, al though diabetic patients showed serum cholesterol levels and body mass index higher than those found in non diabetic patients. Combined incr ease of serum cholesterol and triglycerides was the lipid abnormality most frequently found. Metabolic control of serum lipid levels was dif ficult in most of the patients. These results show the high prevalence of studied risk factors for atherosclerosis in our PD population, as well as the difficulty in controlling hyperlipidemias. Therefore, the need of increasing efforts in order to achieve a good control of the c onsidered risk factors is emphasized.