INTRODUCTION: The most common cause of chronic renal failure (CRF) among patients who are starting on dialysis in developed countries is diabetes mellitus (DM), with growing rates approaching 50%. In Brazil, the available data indicate a lower prevalence, around 27%, even though it is also increasing. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of DM in the adult population of patients on hemodialysis for CRF in Porto Alegre, Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative and analytical survey study on the prevalence of DM among the 1,288 patients on hemodialysis (HD) in all the 15 clinics in the city from June to July, 2009. RESULTS: 488 diabetic patients were identified, a prevalence of 37.9%, ranging from 21 - 75% in the different clinics of the city. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of DM among chronic HD patients in Porto Alegre is higher than what was previously published as a cause of CRF in the country, which indicates the possibility that this etiology of CRF may have been underestimated.
Prevalence; Diabetes mellitus; Renal dialysis; Kidney failure; chronic
