INTRODUCTION: This study assessed 30 children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease on dialysis, cared for at the Hospital das Clínicas of UFMG, aiming at determining the risk factors for the frequency of peritonitis and hospitalizations. METHOD: Descriptive study using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) software, version 13.0. The following variables were assessed as risk factors for a higher frequency of peritonitis and hospitalizations: low educational level; low family income; inadequate level of information; inadequate hand antisepsis during PD; and lack of a sink in the dialysis room. RESULTS: The odds ratio values were within the 95% confidence intervals, and, in some cases, were smaller than 1, indicating the possibility of a negative association between some independent variables and the variables studied, but with no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: No statistical significance was observed for the variables studied, despite the tendency towards that.
peritoneal dialysis; peritonitis; risk factors; hospitalization
