Abstract: Objective  To explore the occurrence and influencing factors of furuncle around exit of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters.  Methods  The PD patients who were followed up regularly from September 2011 to September 2017 in the Department of Nephrology, Peking University People’s Hospital were selected. The occurrence of furuncle and related clinical data were reviewed and analyzed.  Results  A total of 183 PD patients were enrolled in this study, 88 (48.1%) were male, the average age was 59.8±13.8 years, and the median PD duration was 27 (15, 51) months. Thirty-six episodes of furuncle around exit of PD catheter occurred in 23 (12.6%) patients (0.05 episodes/patient-year). The most common site of furuncle was at 6 to 9 o'clock position around PD catheters (14 episodes, 38.9%). In terms of complications, 4 episodes of furuncle (11.1%) were complicated with exit-site infection and/or tunnel infection, but without peritonitis. Logistic regression analysis showed that shorter PD duration (OR=0.969, 95% CI: 0.941～0.998, P=0.039), diabetes mellitus (OR=3.014, 95% CI: 1.050～8.651, P=0.040) and higher serum C-reactive protein (OR=1.154, 95% CI: 1.065～1.251, P<0.001) were the independent risk factors for occurrence of furuncle around exit of PD catheters. Binary logistic regression found that diabetes mellitus (OR=5.513, 95% CI: 1.029～29.536, P=0.046) and C-reactive protein (OR=1.103, 95% CI: 1.016～1.197, P=0.019) were the independent risk factors for frequent furuncle occurrence around exit of PD catheters.  Conclusions  Furuncle around exit of PD catheters is not uncommon in PD patients, and may develop into exit-site infection and/or tunnel infection. The patients with diabetes mellitus, shorter PD duration and higher level of C-reactive protein should be paid attention to the presence of furuncle around the exit, and should be given corresponding education to prevent exit-site infection and tunnel infection.

Key words: Peritoneal dialysis, Exit-site infection, Furuncle, Skin and soft tissue infection