Prevention of renal failure: the Malaysian experience

Renal replacement therapy in Malaysia has shown exponential growth since 1990. The dialysis acceptance rate for 2003 was 80 per million population, prevalence 391 per million population. There are now more than 10,000 patients on dialysis. This growth is proportional to the growth in gross domestic product (GDP). Improvement in nephrology and urology services with widespread availability of ultrasonography and renal pathology has improved care of renal patients. Proper management of renal stone disease, lupus nephritis, and acute renal failure has decreased these as causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in younger age groups. Older patients are being accepted for dialysis, and 51% of new patients on dialysis were diabetic in 2003. The prevalence of diabetes is rising in the country (presently 7%); glycemic control of such patients is suboptimal. Thirty-three percent of adult Malaysians are hypertensive and blood pressure control is poor (6%). There is a national coordinating committee to oversee the control of diabetes and hypertension in the country. Primary care clinics have been provided with kits to detect microalbuminuria, and ACE inhibitors for the treatment of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. Prevention of renal failure workshops targeted at primary care doctors have been launched, opportunistic screening at health clinics is being carried out, and public education targeting high-risk groups is ongoing. The challenge in Malaysia is to stem the rising tide of diabetic ESRD.