英文摘要 |
Background. Early nephrology referral is associated with lower morbidity and mortality. Despite the high prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in southern Taiwan there has been few related studies in this region. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of early referral (ER) on the biochemical variables, pre-ESRD care, vascular access creation and mortality in hemodialysis patients in southern Taiwan. Methods. 276 patients were enrolled from January 1997 to December 2006 at one medical center and one regional hospital in southern Taiwan. ER and late referral (LR) were defined as referral to nephrologists greater or less than 6 months before the initiation of hemodialysis respectively. Results. When compared to LR patients, ER patients were less likely to have hypoalbuminemia at their first hemodialysis, more frequent nephrologists visits, were more likely to have received erythropoietin or phosphate binder therapy, and more likely to have a permanent vascular access for the first hemodialysis. Additionally, ER (odds ratio, 3.080; P < 0.001) was significantly associated with predialysis vascular access placement. In multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio, 2.697; P = 0.005) was independently associated with increased mortality risk. Conclusions. Our findings show that ER results in better biochemical variables, better pre-ESRD care and more vascular access creation, reinforcing the importance of early nephrology referral in chronic kidney disease patients. |