While there is progress in management of newly-diagnosed diabetic patients,
treatment of diabetes and prevention of comorbid conditions, nephrologists
are progressively confronted with the picture of fully established micro-
and macrovascular disease. Experience with CAPD in patients with diabetes m
ellitus in the hospital Vienna-Lainz from 1982 to 8/1999 was analyzed and o
utcome data are presented. During this period 139 patients were treated wit
h CAPD as primary renal replacement therapy, 41 with diabetes Type 1 and 47
with diabetes Type 2. Survival rate after 10 years of treatment (including
transplantation and change to hemodialysis due to technical failure of CAP
D) was 50 % in type I diabetes and 8 % in type 2 diabetes. In 73 % of patie
nts with type I diabetes a kidney or kidney-pancreas transplantation was pe
rformed. In contrast, only 11 % of type 2 diabetic patients were eligible f
or kidney transplantation. These longterm data implicate further attempts i
n reducing the incidence of diabetic nephropathy and later on renal failure
. Furthermore, screening and aggressive treatment for atherosclerotic compl
ications are necessary to improve the prognosis in this patient cohort.