Figure 2.

Different definitions of chronic dialysis lead to different conclusions when mortality is compared among patients treated with PD compared with those treated with HD. This figure presents the relative hazard of death on PD versus HD over time, according to the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus, and the definition of chronic dialysis. In the Elective Outpatient Start cohort (top panel), there was no change in the relative hazard of death over time, and diabetes status did not influence the relationship between treatment modality and the risk of death. In both the All Outpatient Dialysis cohort (bottom left panel) and the 90-day cohort (bottom right panel), the risk of death on PD relative to HD rose over time and was higher in patients with diabetes compared with those without diabetes at any given time point.