ENDORSEMENT BY PROFESSOR PASSADAKIS
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a successful dialysis modality for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD) that enables them to have a home-based treatment with many advantages for their quality of life. Survival outcomes of PD patients are equal to those of hemodialysis, while its technique success is shorter than that of hemodialysis. Despite the success of the method there are reasons for stopping PD and transfer patients to hemodialysis mainly because of peritonitis, inadequate clearance of small solutes and/or ultrafiltration (UF) as well. Peritonitis is a serious complication of PD that is the direct or major contributing cause of death in around 16% of PD patients, while severe or prolonged peritonitis episodes may lead to structural and functional alterations of the peritoneal membrane, eventually causing membrane failure. Therefore, the influence of Peritoneal Dialysis on cellular immunity has been a very interesting era to evaluate since the early years of PD, in order to understand and possibly to modulate and enhance the defense of the peritoneum. Several studies have indicated that cell mediated immunity is impaired in uremia but it has not been precisely determined in what way the peritoneal immunity is affected. In the present book there are several specific studies to describe important issues regarding the lymphocyte subsets and immunophenotypic abnormalities in cellular immunity of blood in peritoneal dialysis patients as well as biocompatibility of PD solutions. The author's knowledge and his personal experience from the extended studies may be an effective and useful tool for the readers to understand these very interesting issues regarding the cellular immunity and the application of peritoneal dialysis modality.
P.S. Passadakis,
MD Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace, Professor of Nephrology,Division of Nephrology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Dragana, Alexandroupolis, 68100 GREECE |
