UC physician studies which dialysis may work better at home

Globally, more than 2 million people undergo dialysis each year, and about 550,000 undergo the procedure in the United States. These patients may benefit from the latest research findings from Silvi Shah, MD, associate professor in the UC College of Medicine. 

She led a team of researchers who found that dialysis patients using a more traditional home hemodialysis procedure have lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than patients using a less invasive peritoneal catheter for dialysis at home.

"Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients who have kidney failure and who are on dialysis," Shah told Local 12 News for a recent segment featuring her research.

Shah studied the medical outcomes of thousands of patients who used home hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. The findings were published in Kidney360, an open access journal of the American Society of Nephrology, and showed that patients on home hemodialysis had a 42% lower risk of stroke, 17% lower risk of acute coronary syndrome, 22% lower risk of cardiovascular death and 8% lower risk of death.

Knowing the health outcomes can help patients determine their options if they have the choice of home hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Patients also consider lifestyle choices when deciding on dialysis options. Petritoneal dialysis can be done at night while the patient is sleeping.

View the Local 12 News segment featuring Dr. Shah’s research.

Learn more about Dr. Shah’s work online.