Decreased incidence of peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis in young children

Aim

Peritonitis is the most common complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study aimed to investigate changes in the incidence, risk factors, microbiology, and clinical outcomes of PD-associated peritonitis in the past decades.

Methods

This was a retrospective study that included children who initiated chronic PD at our institution between 2000 and 2017. The patients were divided into two groups according to the year of initiation: those who initiated PD between 2000 and 2008 and those who initiated PD between 2009 and 2017. The incidence and characteristics of peritonitis were compared between the groups.

Results

A total of 184 patients with a median age of 10.2 years were included in this study. Of the patients, 92 experienced 210 episodes of peritonitis. The incidence rate of peritonitis decreased from 0.35 to 0.21 episodes/patient year during the study period (P = 0.001). During the 2000–2008 period, the 2-year peritonitis-free survival rate was significantly lower for patients under 2 years of age than for the other age groups (P = 0.004), whereas this was not observed during the 2009–2017 period. The multivariable Cox proportional hazard model showed that the <2 years age group had a significantly higher risk of developing peritonitis in the 2000–2008 period. However, this was not evident in the 2009–2017 period.

Conclusions

The incidence of PD-associated peritonitis decreased, particularly in children under 2 years of age. Thus, younger age may not be a risk factor for PD-associated peritonitis.