Effect of Dialysis Glucose Bath on Glycemic Control in Hemodialysis (HD)

Background: Type II diabetes is a disease that affects more than 246 million people worldwide. Most importantly, one of the complications of type II diabetes is kidney damage and this has lead to many patients seeking hemodialysis treatment, a type of kidney replacement therapy. However, during hemodialysis treatment, many patients are greatly at risk for having their blood sugar drop below normal and this can lead to neurological problems. Also, it has been reported that hemodialysis patients who have poorer control of blood glucose levels are at risk to developing heart problems. It has been shown that adding 5.5 mmol/L of glucose in the hemodialysis treatment can reduce the chances of having an abnormal decrease in blood glucose levels. Currently, some institutions use 10 mmol/L of glucose (instead of 5.5 mmol/L) in the hemodialysis treatment, however, there is little documented support to justify for this action. Objective: The investigators are would like to explore the effects of use of 10 mmol/L of glucose in hemodialysis treatment and to determine if it worsens control of blood glucose levels, both during the treatment sessions and over the long term in type II diabetes patients. Also, patients on hemodialysis are prone to infection, so we will also observe if there is any change in infection rate among these patients with increased glucose in the treatment. Methods: The study will consist of 40 patients who will be randomly split into 2 groups. One group will be treated with 5.5 mmol/L glucose in the hemodialysis treatment and the other group will have 10 mmol/L glucose in the treatment. During the hemodialysis treatment, patient blood glucose will be measured at set intervals to check for any acute drops in glucose levels. Also, to assess long-term control of blood glucose levels, each patient will have 2 blood tests, one at the start and another at the end of the experiment. Signs of infection will be checked at the start of each session. Each patient will remain in their group for the duration of the study, which is 12 weeks.