The Overlooked Infection Crisis in Dialysis Patients

Man, doctor, and dialysis machine

(Adobe Stock 867731678 by Penn/peopleimages.com)

The immunocompromised host is a person with impairments in the body’s normal defense mecha­nisms against infection.¹ Patients who are immunocompromised are suscep­tible to bacterial, fungal, viral, and par­asitic infections that healthy immune systems usually overcome. They are also more susceptible to complications from common infections.²

Unfortunately, many patients requiring dialysis are at a higher risk for acquiring infection due to critical illness and multiple comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, and immuno­suppression. Along with comorbidities, these patients will also require some form of invasive access into their vas­cular system or peritoneal cavity.³ Any failure along the spectrum of dialysis treatment, from…