Recovery of renal function after one-year of dialysis treatment: case report and registry data

Objective. Uncertainty has arisen as to whether renal function can be recovered from after long-term regular dialysis treatment. We therefore conducted an analysis and scrutinized one patient report. Material and Methods. Swedish registry of patients with kidney disease and one patient case. Results. 39 patients (0.2%) from the Swedish registry comprising 17590 patients who commenced RRT (renal replacement therapy) between 1991 and 2008 had recovered from renal function after more than 365 days of regular dialysis treatment. The most common diagnosis was renovascular disease with hypertension but a large group had uremia of unknown cause. HUS, cortical/tubular necrosis, and autoimmune diseases were also found. The mean treatment time before withdrawal was 2 years. Conclusions. A small number of patients recover after a long period of regular dialysis treatment. One could discuss whether it is difficult to identify patients who have recovered while undergoing regular dialysis treatment. Regular monitoring of renal function may be important.