Trends in renal replacement therapy in Turkey, 1996-2008

National renal registry studies providing data for incidence, prevalence, and characteristics of end-stage renal disease and renal replacement therapy (RRT) serve as a basis to determine national strategies for the prevention and treatment of these diseases and identify new areas for special studies.

Since 1990, the Turkish Society of Nephrology has been coordinating a national renal registry that collects data on patients receiving RRT. This report focuses on data collected from 1996-2008.

Data were collected in dialysis centers for patients on RRT.

Year.

Point prevalence and incidence of RRT, RRT modalities, demographic and clinical characteristics of patients on RRT.

From 1996 to 2008, the number of centers (199 and 760) and response rates to the registry (76% and 99.4%) increased. In 2008, the point prevalence of RRT was 756 per million population (pmp) and incidence was 188 pmp, including pediatric patients. In prevalent patients, the most common RRT modality was hemodialysis (77.0% of patients), followed by peritoneal dialysis (10.1%) and transplant (12.9%). The age of hemodialysis and transplant patients increased, with a predominance of male patients. Percentages of diabetes mellitus and hypertension as causes of ESRD increased, whereas those of chronic glomerulonephritis and urologic disease decreased. Infection and crude death rates decreased in all treatment modalities.

The main study limitations were registry design and low number of kidney transplants.

With increasing numbers of dialysis centers and RRT patients during the last 12 years, the need for RRT in Turkey has been better met. The quality of RRT care has improved, especially regarding prevention and treatment of infections.