Category: Kidney
Can Peritoneal Dialysis Continue Beyond 10 Years? Long-Term Care, Risks and Practical Guidance
Direct answer
Peritoneal dialysis can continue past 10 years for some people, and the time differs. Clean exchanges, follow-up, and a treatment that fits each stage matter more than a promised number of years. Cloudy fluid needs an immediate call to the dialysis unit.
When to call the dialysis unit, and when to go to emergency care
Call the dialysis unit immediately
- Drained fluid looks unusually cloudy, even without fever or abdominal pain. Do not wait it out, and do not buy an antibiotic to use at home
Emergency department
- Severe abdominal pain, high fever with chills, fluid that will not flow in or out, chest pain, trouble breathing, confusion, or feeling faint
Tell the unit soon
- Skin around the tube is red, sore, or discharging
- Swelling or weight rises quickly, or there is fatigue, nausea, or a poor appetite
1. Some people do stay on this treatment past 10 years
Peritoneal dialysis can continue past 10 years. The time differs from person to person. What matters is careful self-care, follow-up with the treating team, and a treatment that fits health at each stage.
The National Kidney Federation, updated 13 November 2024, notes that some people have been treated with peritoneal dialysis for more than 10 years. Others move to hemodialysis or receive a transplant. No figure promises the same result for every person.
2. What a long study shows, after the group is clear
The numbers below are the result for one research group. They are not a forecast of the reader’s lifespan.
The study followed 533 people who started peritoneal dialysis from 2006 to 2008 for more than 10 years (PMID 32489134). Mean age at the start was 48 years, and 130 had diabetic nephropathy.
Two questions, two answers
The first question is how many were still alive at 10 years. In this group the answer was 36 percent, about one in three. At 1, 3, and 5 years the survival figures were 93, 81, and 64 percent. The 36 percent belongs to that group in that era. It is not the reader’s chance of survival.
The second question is how long the peritoneal dialysis method itself could continue. The researchers answered it without counting death as a reason the method stopped. At 10 years that figure was 62 percent. The two figures do not combine, and they do not calculate one person’s chance. Sixty-two percent does not mean that 62 of every 100 people who started were both alive and still on peritoneal dialysis.
Limits of this group
During follow-up, 208 people died. Cardiovascular disease was the common cause, in 97 people. The method was stopped 84 times, and peritonitis was the common reason, in 41 of those times. Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis was recorded in 7 people, 1.3 percent of the group. It is not a condition everyone on long-term treatment develops.
The average age in this group was not high, and treatment began more than fifteen years ago. Older age, more other illnesses, and less education were associated with death in the study’s model. That association does not judge a person. Diabetic nephropathy was associated with stopping the method more often, and that too is not a personal prediction.
3. A move to hemodialysis, death, and transplant are different events
The 2026 ISPD position statement asks programs to name the reason someone leaves peritoneal dialysis. Some transfer to hemodialysis, some die, some receive a transplant, some recover kidney function, and some move to another program (PMID 42307417).
The statement notes that by two years many people are no longer on the original therapy. That sentence mixes every reason together, so it is not the reader’s chance of death. A transplant is a welcome change. A move to hemodialysis is a choice that fits the body at that time.
How urgent do the kidney signals feel?
Our Advisory team can help sort severity and offer personalized guidance.
Take the free kidney care urgency score
If the fluid is cloudy, abdominal pain is severe, or fever comes with chills, call the dialysis unit before any score.
4. Seven habits that keep treatment safer
Exchange the fluid the way the unit trained. If the steps feel unclear, ask for a refresher. Watch the skin around the tube. Report redness, soreness, or discharge.
The 2023 catheter guidance treats exit-site infection as a risk for losing the tube and for peritonitis. The unit target is no more than 0.40 exit-site episodes per year at risk. That figure belongs to the unit, not to one person (PMID 37232412). Cream around the tube stays on the unit’s plan. Do not start or stop it alone.
Weight, food, and visits
Each time fluid is drained, look at whether it is cloudy. Weigh, check blood pressure and swelling on the personal plan, keep visits, and tell the team about problems.
Food needs to be enough and suited to that person. The joint ISRNM and ISPD recommendation, first published on 1 September 2026, covers nutrition assessment, dietary pattern, care when protein and energy are lacking, and teaching people to manage food (PMID 42790999). The amount tables in the full document were not open with the abstract, so this page sets no single target for protein, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, or fluid.
The UK kidney charity says many people eat close to a usual diet, with some foods moderated, and may be asked to limit fluid when urine output falls. Each person’s numbers belong to the treating team.
5. If the fluid is cloudy, call immediately
If drained dialysis fluid looks unusually cloudy, contact the dialysis unit immediately, even without fever or abdominal pain. Do not wait to see what happens. Do not buy an antibiotic to use at home. Keeping the bag, sending it for tests, and using medicine follow the team’s instructions.
The 2022 guideline treats peritonitis as serious and sets a unit target of no more than 0.40 episodes per year, with a hope that more than 80 percent of people in a unit have none that year (PMID 35264029). That figure belongs to the unit. The abstract does not give a white-cell count, so this page does not set one for home use.
6. The peritoneal membrane can change in some people
The 2021 guidance tests the membrane early, between 6 and 12 weeks, and repeats the test when there is a reason. It is not one yearly schedule for everyone (PMID 33563110). If fluid will not come off, the cause may be the membrane, the tube, or another problem. The team sorts this and may change the timing or the type of fluid. The person does not change the prescription alone.
After a long time, if the membrane has changed, the team should discuss encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis. That discussion does not mean everyone past 10 years develops it. In the group of 533, it was recorded in 7 people.
7. When to talk about the treatment plan
Talk with the team when infections keep returning, fluid will not come off despite the plan, tests show that waste removal is not enough, or a transplant assessment is due. Fatigue, nausea, or a poor appetite should be reported. They can relate to dialysis that is not enough, and they have other causes too.
Less urine may mean the prescription needs a change while the method continues. A move to hemodialysis is not a personal failing. Someone who has just started can still keep daily routines and time with family, within what the body allows. One person’s number of years is not a ruler for another person.
Separate what happened from what to do next
This table sorts worries. It does not forecast one person’s lifespan.
| What happened | What it can show | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Some people pass 10 years on this treatment | It really happens | Keep careful care and visits. Do not measure yourself by someone else’s years |
| Cloudy fluid | Peritonitis has to be suspected | Call the unit immediately, even without fever or pain |
| Fluid will not come off | Several causes, including the membrane, the tube, and other problems | Let the team assess it. Do not change the fluid prescription alone |
| The team mentions hemodialysis | A treatment chosen for that stage | It is not a personal failing. Transplant is another possible path |
Figures from the group of 533, and the limits on using them for everyone
| The study’s question | Answer in that group | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Alive at 10 years? | 36 percent at 10 years, and 93, 81, and 64 percent at 1, 3, and 5 years | A group with mean age 48 who started in 2006–2008. Not the reader’s forecast |
| How far could the method continue? | 62 percent at 10 years, without counting death as a reason the method stopped | Do not merge this with 36 percent. It does not mean 62 of 100 were alive and still on peritoneal dialysis |
| How often was encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis recorded? | 7 people, or 1.3 percent | Not a condition everyone past 10 years develops |
What this page takes from the documents that were read
Prepared by Asst. Prof. Dr. Norawit Raatpiboon. Long-term peritoneal dialysis is possible for some people. The study of 533 separates being alive at 10 years from the question of how long the method itself continued. Cloudy fluid is a signal to call the unit immediately. The membrane can change in some people. A move to hemodialysis or a transplant is a path chosen for health at that stage.
Common questions
Can peritoneal dialysis really continue past 10 years?
Yes, for some people. A UK kidney charity notes that some have stayed on this treatment for more than 10 years. The time differs, and no figure promises the same result for everyone.
Does everyone reach 10 years?
No. In one group of 533 people, about one in three were alive at 10 years. That is the result for that group, not a forecast for the reader. A second figure answers a different question and cannot be turned into one person’s chance.
What lowers the chance of infection?
Exchange fluid the way the unit trained, watch the skin around the tube, and ask for a refresher if the steps feel unclear. Red, sore, or discharging skin should be reported.
The fluid is cloudy but the abdomen does not hurt. What now?
Call the dialysis unit immediately, even without fever or pain. Do not wait it out, and do not buy an antibiotic to use at home. Keep the bag and use medicine only as the team directs.
Does the peritoneal membrane wear out in everyone?
No. In the group of 533, encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis was recorded in 7 people. After a long time the team may discuss this if the membrane has changed. That talk does not mean everyone develops it.
When should a change of dialysis be discussed?
When infections keep returning, fluid will not come off despite the plan, tests show dialysis is not enough, or a transplant assessment is due. A move to hemodialysis is not a personal failing.
Sources
- Ten-year survival of people treated with peritoneal dialysis. PMID 32489134
- 2026 ISPD position statement on loss from PD therapy. PMID 42307417
- ISPD peritonitis guideline, 2022 update. PMID 35264029
- ISPD recommendations on peritoneal membrane dysfunction, 2021. PMID 33563110
- ISPD catheter-related infection recommendations, 2023. PMID 37232412
- ISRNM and ISPD nutrition recommendation, first published 1 September 2026. PMID 42790999
- ISPD guidelines
- National Kidney Federation: peritoneal dialysis, updated 13 November 2024
Medical limits
This page is general information. It does not forecast one person’s lifespan or time on treatment, and it does not change a fluid prescription, a fluid allowance, or a medicine. If the fluid is cloudy, call the dialysis unit immediately, even without fever or pain. Severe abdominal pain, fever with chills, trouble breathing, or confusion needs emergency care.