Eosinophilic peritonitis in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis

Eosinophilic peritonitis is a response of the peritoneum to foreign substances. It presents as cloudy dialysate and may be missed because not all laboratories report the eosinophil count, giving only the total number of polymorphonuclear cells. Over a 2-year period, eight children developed 13 episodes of eosinophilic peritonitis. Three episodes were asymptomatic other than cloudy fluid, five followed surgery and two were associated with gastroenteritis. Despite recurrent episodes, there were no adverse outcomes, although a raised peritoneal eosinophil count persisted in most cases. Eosinophilic peritonitis is under-diagnosed and may lead to unnecessary antibiotic therapy.     

IgG subclass levels in pediatric patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis

Patients maintained on chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) have been reported to have a variety of abnormalities of humoral immunity, including hypogammaglobulinemia, altered response to vaccination, and selective absence of IgG2. We measured serum immunoglobulin and IgG subclass levels in 22 pediatric CPD patients followed at our institution; 8 patients had low total IgG; 4 of these had low levels of IgG2 and 3 also had low IgG1, but IgG2 levels were detected in all patients. Thus, many pediatric CPD patients may have low IgG, and some may have low IgG1 and IgG2 as a reflection of low total IgG. However, we did not demonstrate a selective absence of IgG2 in these patients.     

Comparison of chronic peritoneal dialysis outcomes in children with and without spina bifida

This study was designed to compare chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) long-term outcomes (patient and technique survival, incidence of peritonitis, and overall average death outcomes) between seven patients with lumbar spina bifida (SB) and 20 controls without SB. Both groups were matched for potentially outcome-confounding factors: gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). SES was established using modified Graffar’s method. No significant differences were found in CPD outcomes. The incidence of peritonitis was one episode per 17.6 and 10.3 months in SB patients and controls, respectively (p = 0.5). Overall patient survival at 5 years was 86% and 73% in SB patients and controls, respectively (p = 0.55). Overall average death rate between SB and control patients was 47.6/1,000 and 79.4/1,000 patient years, respectively (p = 0.63). Overall technique survival at 5 years was 83% and 73% in SB patients and controls, respectively (p = 0.84). There were no cases of retrograde brain ventricular infection secondary to PD-related peritonitis. We conclude that SB is not a risk factor for CPD, and therefore, it is an effective renal replacement alternative in children with SB.     

Carnitine supplementation improves apolipoprotein B levels in pediatric peritoneal dialysis patients

There have been conflicting reports concerning the effect of carnitine supplementation on lipid metabolism in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). We investigated several parameters of lipid metabolism in pediatric PD patients supplemented with carnitine. The study included 20 patients receiving PD (treatment group) aged 2–18 years and a matched healthy control group. In the treatment group, baseline triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels were higher than in the control group. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, free fatty acid, phospholipids, and apolipoprotein A-I levels were not different from those in the control group. The baseline plasma free carnitine level was lower and acyl-carnitine level was higher in the treatment group. No difference was found between the groups with respect to plasma total carnitine levels. Oral l-carnitine supplementation (50 mg/kg per day for 30 days) led to a significant decrease (from a baseline value of 146.6±51.8 mg/dl to 63.6±22.2 mg/dl, P<0.001) in apolipoprotein B levels, and no significant change in the other lipid parameters of the treatment group. Oral l-carnitine supplementation does not ameliorate the lipid profile in pediatric PD patients, but it causes a significant decrease in apolipoprotein B levels. Hence, carnitine supplementation may be recommended for decreasing apolipoprotein B levels in this patient population.     

Hernias complicating chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis in children

The sustained hydraulic pressure developed within the peritoneal cavity during chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) may develop any actual or potential defect in the inguinal or umbilical area into a clinical hernia. Seven of 19 children have developed inguinal hernias after initiation of CAPD. Demonstration of the presence of a processus vaginalis by peritoneography during catheter placement permits their repair at that time. Late development of clinical indirect inguinal hernias early in our experience after high ligation of the processus vaginalis emphasizes the fact that tight closure of the internal ring is necessary.     

Unilateral hydrothorax in small children on chronic continuous peritoneal dialysis

Three small children whose weights were under 15kg and who were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis or continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis developed massive unilateral hydrothorax. The occurrence of hydrothorax was late, 3–22 months after the initiation of dialysis. Two of the three fluid collections were leftsided. Each episode was preceded by retention of dialysate. After drainage of the hydrothorax a modified peritoneal dialysis regimen was successful in sustaining patients for a few weeks until further therapy for end-stage renal disease could be pursued.Presented to the 5th National Conference on CAPD, 7 February 1985, Kansas City, Kansas, USA     

Models to assess nitrogen losses in pediatric patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis

To develop models to estimate nitrogen (N) losses of children on chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) from easily measurable indexes and laboratory tests, we measured the N content and all nitrogenous compounds in dialysate (D), urine (U), and feces over 3 days in 19 pediatric patients on CPD. Total measured N losses (TNm) were 5.56±2.26 g/day (69.9±11.1% in dialysate, 16.3±10.6% in urine, and 13.6±4.6% in feces). Correlation coefficients between measured dialysate and urinary N losses and the single nitrogenous compounds indicated values of over 0.9 only for urea in dialysate and urine; fecal N losses correlated well with body surface area (BSA). Taking into account these correlations, we developed a univariate additive model and three multivariate models to predict total estimated N losses (TNe). The best prediction of TNm was obtained with model 3, which considered not only urea output in dialysate and urine but also dialysate protein loss and BSA: TNe (g/day)=0.03+1.138 UN urea+0.99 DN urea+1.18 BSA+0.965 DN protein. A confirmatory analysis performed on a second group of 23 pediatric patients on CPD, using all four models, showed a higher percentage of studies with a relative difference between TNm and TNe less than 10% for model 3 than for the other models. Thus, N losses of pediatric patients on CPD can be estimated from measured urea and protein losses in dialysate and urea loss in urine, together with BSA. Received: 11 October 1999 / Revised: 1 March 2000 / Accepted: 1 March 2000     

Psychosocial effects on caregivers for children on chronic peritoneal dialysis

The study was designed to explore the psychosocial effects on caretakers of children in Taiwan on chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD). This is a case-control study, performed with subjects drawn from eight medical centers. The study group consisted of caretakers of 32 children with renal failure being treated with CPD. For comparison, a control group of caretakers of 64 healthy children as well as the regional Taiwanese studies were used. Two instruments were used to explore the presence of probable depression and quality of life (QOL) of the caretakers: the Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire, and the World Health Organization QOL BRIEF-Taiwan Version. In the study group, only 25% of caregivers had full-time jobs, and 66% of families had an annual income of less than US dollar 15,000. Of the 32 families in the study group, 16% had only a single parent. The prevalence of probable depression was significantly more common in the study group compared with control and referent group (28% vs 5% and 9.44%; P = 0.001). QOL scores in four domains were also significantly lower in the study group. In conclusion, even with the advances of peritoneal dialysis techniques, caring for children on CPD in Taiwan has significant adverse psychosocial effects on the primary caregivers. Attention should be paid to the psycho-social status of the caregivers.     

Epidemiology and outcomes of peritonitis in children on peritoneal dialysis in Australasia

Peritonitis is a common complication and major cause of morbidity in children on peritoneal dialysis. In this retrospective longitudinal study, we analysed data retrieved from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) on 167 patients aged less than 18 years of age who were treated with peritoneal dialysis during the period from October 2003 to December 2007. During this period there were 100 episodes of peritonitis in 57 patients (0.71 episodes/patient-year), with Gram-positive organisms most commonly isolated (44%). Peritonitis occurred frequently in the first 6 months after starting dialysis, with survival analysis showing peritonitis-free survival rates of 72%, 56% and 36% at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years respectively. Age was a weak predictor of peritonitis on univariate analysis, but previous peritonitis was the only significant predictor in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model (adjusted hazard ratio 2.02; 95% CI: 1.20 to 3.40, p = 0.008). Peritonitis episodes infrequently resulted in relapse (5%), recurrence (7%) or the need for either temporary or permanent haemodialysis (5% and 7% respectively) and there were no patient deaths directly attributable to peritonitis. Compared with single organism peritonitis, polymicrobial peritonitis was not associated with any statistically significant differences in outcome. Further prospective studies are required to determine the most appropriate prophylactic measures and antibiotic regimens for use in pediatric patients.     

黄芪改善腹透患者腹腔巨噬细胞功能的临床研究

目的：研究黄芪对尿毒症患腹腔巨噬细胞功能的影响。方法：对43例尿毒症初始行腹膜透析的患在腹透液中不加（对照组）和加入黄芪注射液（用药组）治疗1周,用ELISA法检测观察前后腹腔巨噬细胞分泌TNF－a能力和吞噬功能的变化。结果：黄芪用药组腹腔巨噬细胞吞菌率、吞噬指数、杀菌率和巨噬细胞分泌TNF－a水平和对照组相比均明显上升（P＜0．01）,巨噬细胞分泌TNF－a水平与用药前自身对比也显提高（P＜0．05）。结论：腹透液中加入黄芪注射液可提高腹透患腹腔巨噬细胞功能。     

Predictors of left ventricular hypertrophy in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis

Conflicting results have been reported in small non-homogenous groups of children with chronic renal failure in terms of casual blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) parameters and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The aim of our study was to assess the value of ABPM and hematological and biochemical parameters in predicting LVH in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD). Echocardiography and 24-h ABPM were performed in addition to routine biochemical and hematological evaluations in 47 children on CPD (26 male, 21 female; mean age 14.74?±?3.52 years). Mean daytime systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mean daytime diastolic blood pressure (DBP) values were found to be higher than the mean casual SBP and DBP (p?=?0.001) values. Thirty-three (70.2%) children had LVH. The correlations between the left ventricular mass index and ABPM variables were good. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed daytime SBP load (β?=?0.652; p?<?0.01) and hematocrit (β?=??0.282; p?<?0.01) to be independent predictors of LVH. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values for the combination of the SBP load >15% and hematocrit value <31% for predicting LVH were 95 [95% confidence interval (CI) 76–99], 78 (95%CI 45–94), 91 (95%CI 73–98), and 88% (95%CI 69–96%), respectively. We conclude that: (1) LVH is prevalent in children on CPD, and (2) a target hematocrit level >31% and daytime SBP load <15% may be preventive for the progression of LVH in the follow-up of children on CPD.     

Short PET in pediatric peritoneal dialysis

Peritoneal equilibration test (PET) is a common technique used in children to evaluate peritoneal membrane transport capacity and adequate the dialysis regimen. Considering that this is a laborious test, a shortened version has been proposed. Our goal was to evaluate the concordance between the 2-h (short) and 4-h (classical) PET values to determine whether the short PET could be used in the clinical setting. Eighty-one PET corresponding to 81 peritoneal dialysis patients from two pediatric nephrology centers were retrospectively analyzed. Peritoneal transport capacity was evaluated using the dialysate to plasma ratio (D/P) of creatinine and the ratio of dialysate glucose to baseline dialysate glucose (D/D(0)) at 2 and 4 h. The mean [+/- standard deviation (SD)] creatinine D/P ratio at 2 and 4 h were 0.41 +/- 0.13 and 0.66 +/- 0.17, respectively, and the mean (+/- SD) D/D(0) glucose were 0.64 +/- 0.11 and 0.39 +/- 0.12 at the same times. Applying McNemar chi(2) test to evaluate the association between the categories obtained at 2 and 4 h, we found no relationship between the 2- and 4-h PET for both D/P and D/D(0) (p > 0.05). These results suggest that the use of this abbreviated test is probably not reliable for estimating the transport capacity of the peritoneal membrane in the pediatric population.     

The importance of ultrasonographic measurement of peritoneal wall thickness in pediatric chronic peritoneal dialysis patients

Abstract

Loss of peritoneal function due to peritoneal fibrosing syndrome (PFS) is a major factor leading to treatment failure in chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Although the precise biologic mechanisms responsible for these changes have not been defined, the general assumption is that alterations in peritoneal function are related to structural changes in the peritoneal membrane. Studies of the peritoneal membrane by non-invasive ultrasonography (US) in chronic PD patients are limited. The aim of the present study is to assess the relationship between functional parameters of peritoneum and peritoneal thickness measured by US in children treated by chronic PD. We recruited two groups of patients: 23 subjects (13 females, 10 males) on chronic PD (patient group) and 26 (7 females, 19 males) on predialysis out-patient follow-up (creatinine clearance: 20–60?mL/min/1.73?m²) (control group). Age, sex, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), chronic PD duration, episodes of peritonitis and the results of peritoneal equilibration test (PET) were recorded. Hemoglobin (Hb), blood pressure (BP), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and renal osteodystrophy (ROD) parameters were also obtained. The thickness of the parietal peritoneum was measured by trans-abdominal US in all children. Statistical analyses were performed by using Student's t and Pearson's correlation tests. Mean peritoneal thickness in chronic PD patients (1028.26?±?157.26?μm) was significantly higher than control patients (786.52?±?132.33). Mean peritoneal thickness was significantly correlated with mean body height (R²?=?0.93, p?<?0.05), BMI (R²?=?0.25, p?<?0.05), chronic PD duration (R²?=?0.64, p?<?0.05), episodes of peritonitis (R²?=?0.93, p?<?0.05), D/P_creatinine (R²?=?0.76, p?<?0.05) and D4/D0_glucose (R²?=?0.81, p?<?0.05). No correlation was found between peritoneal thickness and Hb, BP, LVMI and ROD parameters. In conclusion, ultrasonographic measurement of peritoneal membrane thickness is a simple and non-invasive method in chronic PD children. This diagnostic tool likely enables to assess peritoneal structure and function in these patients.     

Growth hormone therapy and lipid profile in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on serum lipids in children treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis. We studied 26 patients aged 5-18 years, including 13 patients treated with rhGH at a dose of 1-1.1 IU/kg per week for 6 months and a control group of 13 patients. Serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C, triglycerides (TG), apolipoproteins A-I and B-100 (apoA and apoB), lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], total protein, albumin, urea, and creatinine levels were measured in all children at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months of follow-up. We found a significant increase in the TG level after 1 month of administration of rhGH in the treatment group compared with both baseline (218.8+/-49.2 mg/dl vs. 175.9+/-71.9 mg/dl, respectively, P<0.05) and the control group at 1 month of follow-up (146.5+/-44.3 mg/dl, P<0.001). We found no change in TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, apoA, and Lp(a) levels during treatment with rhGH. These data suggest that administration of rhGH to children treated with peritoneal dialysis results in only a transient increase of serum TG level and has no effect on TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, apoA, and Lp(a) levels.     

The short peritoneal equilibration test in pediatric peritoneal dialysis

The peritoneal equilibration test (PET) is the gold standard method for defining peritoneal membrane permeability and for prescribing peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy on an individual basis. However, it is laborious, consumes nursing time, and requires many hours to be performed. Therefore, several authors have attempted to validate a short PET protocol, with controversial results. To evaluate the concordance between the 2-h (short) and 4-h (classical) peritoneal equilibrium test, a prospective observational protocol was applied in three PD centers (Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay) between July 1, 2008 and July 31 2009. PET protocol: the night prior to the test, each patient received five exchanges, 1 h each, at the same glucose concentration as previously used. Afterwards, a 2.5% glucose dialysis solution was used for a dwell time of 4 h. Exchange fill volume was 1,100 ml/m² body surface area. The next morning, the 4-h dwell was drained, and Dianeal 2.5% was infused. Three dialysate samples at 0, 2, and 4 h were obtained. A single blood sample was obtained at 120 min. Creatinine D/P and glucose D/D₀ ratios were calculated at hours 0, 2, and 4. Patients were categorized as low, low average, high average, or high transporters according creat D/P and gluc D/D₀ results. Pearson and Kappa test were used for numerical and categorical correlations, respectively, and p?<?0.05 was considered significant. Eighty-seven PET studies were evaluated in 74 patients, 33 males, age 11.1?±?5.05 years old. A positive linear correlation of 92% between 2 and 4-h creat D/P and 80% between 2 and 4-h gluc D/D₀ (p?<?0.001) was founded. The Kappa test showed a significant concordance between creat D/P and gluc D/D₀ categories at 2 and 4 h (p?<?0.001). When analyzing cut-off-value categories, creat D/P was founded to be lower and gluc D/D₀ higher than other experiences. This multicentric prospective study strongly suggests that PET obtained at 2 h and 4 h, based on either creatinine or glucose transport, provides identical characterization of peritoneal membrane transport capacity in PD children.     

Effect of rifampin onStaphylococcus aureus colonization in children on chronic peritoneal dialysis

The efficacy of rifampin in eliminatingStaphylococcus aureus colonization was evaluated in a pediatric peritoneal dialysis population. Six children with documented nasal colonization were treated for 7 days with rifampin and cloxacillin. Although antimicrobial therapy eliminated nasal carriage in all patients, recolonization occurred in 66%. Exit site colonization proved difficult to eradicate with negative cultures documented in only 3 of 5 children after rifampin/cloxacillin therapy. AlthoughS. aureus carriage is a risk factor forS. aureus infections, efforts to eradicate carriage with rifampin are hindered by rapid recolonization.     

Challenges in pediatric peritoneal dialysis in Turkey

Chronic peritoneal dialysis (CPD) is the modality of choice for children with end-stage renal disease in Turkey. CPD was first instituted in 1989 in Turkish pediatric patients by using imported basic equipment and solutions since then the number of patients on CPD increased gradually. Parallel to the developments in the PD industry, in 2002, the Turkish Pediatric Nephrology Association established the Turkish Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis (TUPEPD) Study Group to study peritoneal dialysis in children and adolescents. Today in Turkey, almost all of the PD equipment and PD solutions are available. Turkish pediatric nephrologists now have a significant experience with PD. Physicians, parents, and the children prefer to start with CPD because of its advantages, such as a more liberal social life and better school attendance.