Glycemic Control Is a Predictor of Survival for Diabetic Patients on Hemodialysis

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—To investigate the impact of glycemic control on the survival of diabetic subjects with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) starting hemodialysis treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This single-center prospective observational study enrolled 150 diabetic ESRD subjects (109 men and 41 women; age at hemodialysis initiation, 60.5 ± 10.2 years) at start of hemodialysis between January 1989 and December 1997. The subjects were divided into groups according to their glycemic control level at inclusion as follows: good HbA1c <7.5%, n = 93 (group G), and poor HbA1c ≥7.5%, n = 57 (group P); and survival was followed until December 1999, with a mean follow-up period of 2.7 years. RESULTS—Group G had better survival than group P (the control group) (P = 0.008). At inclusion, there was no significant difference in age, sex, systolic blood pressure (SBP), BMI, cardio-to-thoracic ratio (CTR) on chest X-ray, and serum creatinine (Cre) or hemoglobin (Hb) levels between the two groups. After adjustment for age and sex, HbA1c was a significant predictor of survival (hazard ratio 1.133 per 1.0% increment of HbA1c, 95% CI 1.028–1.249, P = 0.012), as were Cre and CTR. CONCLUSIONS—Good glycemic control (HbA1c <7.5%) predicts better survival of diabetic ESRD patients starting hemodialysis treatment.