Flowing time on the peritoneal membrane

Time, passing on, rhythms our lives. This observation also applies to physiology and pathophysiology. It is known that this seasonal adaptability is based both on genetic programmes, and on a strict neurovegetative and endocrinological control, with a flexible and sophisticated network of activities changing in relation to external stimuli and aging, starting in intrauterine life to the years of growth, adulthood and senility. Likewise, the peritoneum of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients responds to the passing of time by undergoing anatomical and functional changes (Figure 1). Although the functional characteristics of the peritoneum in children undergoing PD are different from those in adult patients, recent experimental studies have demonstrated that, when adjusted in relation to body surface and age, there are no significant differences in peritoneal fluids and solutes transport between adults and children. In a recent study on children under PD, time was found to have no effect on parameters for peritoneal transport, except for the restriction coefficient for macromolecules [1].