Michael Schömig

Blood pressure in diabetic nephropathy--current controversies.

Abstract. Ritz E, Rychlík I, Schömig M, Wagner J (Department of Internal Medicine, Ruperto Carola University, Heidelberg, Germany). Blood pressure in diabetic nephropathy – current controversies (Review). J Intern Med 2001; 249: 215–223.

Hemodialysis and CAPD in Type I and Type II Diabetic Patients with Endstage Renal Failure

In the early days of hemodialysis, efforts to treat and rehabilitate uremic patients with diabetes were largely unsuccessful [1] until dialysis procedures and particularly volume control had become more effective. Although diabetic patients have a poorer outcome than non-diabetic patients, survival has improved progressively, although long-term survival is still very unsatisfactory, e.g. at 5 years 38% in type I and 5% in type II diabetics in Germany [2], as shown in fig. 40-1. International comparison of survival (table 40-1) shows that survival of diabetics on renal replacement therapy goes in parallel with differences between country of cardiovascular deaths in non-uremic diabetics and in the general population [3]. It is certainly no longer justified, however, to deny admission to renal replacement therapy to any patient because of his or her diabetes [4]. The rising number of admissions of diabetic patients for renal replacement therapy is a medical catastrophe of world-wide dimensions [3]. It will require intense efforts in the predialytic phase to delay progression and to prevent complications, mainly cardiovascular, which later on jeopardise survival on dialysis [5–7].

Contents Vol. 18, 2000

61 Fifth International Conference on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapies (CRRT) March 2–4, 2000, San Diego, Calif. Editor: Mehta, R.L. (San Diego, Calif.) 89 Author Index for Abstracts Review 91 Artificial Cell Biotechnology for Medical Applications Chang, T.M.S. (Montreal)