Serum platelet distribution width predicts cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Platelet distribution width (PDW) is a predictor for all-cause mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic implication of PDW in predicting cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Methods: In total, 762 PD patients from a single center were recruited retrospectively from 2005 to 2017 and followed up until 2021. The primary and secondary outcomes were cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, respectively. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression analysis.

Results: During a median of 52.2 months of follow-up, 135 (17.7%) cases of CVD and 253 (33.2%) cases of all-cause mortality were reported. After multivariate adjustment, high levels of PDW were associated with an increased risk of death from CVD (HR: 1.583; 95% CI: 1.109-2.258; P = 0.011) and all-cause mortality (HR: 1.313; 95% CI: 1.006-1.758; P = 0.045). Subgroup analysis indicated a stronger association between PDW and all-cause mortality among female participants (P-value for interaction = 0.033). Higher levels of PDW predicted an increased risk of all-cause mortality in female patients (HR: 1.986; 95% CI,1.261-3.127).

Conclusion: High levels of PDW are independently associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the PD population, and differences by sex exist in the association of PDW with all-cause mortality.