Peritoneal dialysis in China: meeting the challenge of chronic kidney failure

Due to limited medical and economic resources, particularly in the countryside and remote areas, the proportion of individuals with end-stage kidney disease who are treated with dialysis in China is only about 20%. For the rest, renal replacement therapy currently is not available. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been developed and used for more than 30 years in China to treat patients with end-stage kidney disease. Several national PD centers of first-rate scale and quality have sprung up, but the development of PD varies widely among geographic regions across China. The Chinese government has dedicated itself to continually increasing the coverage and level of medical service for patients with end-stage kidney disease. Under the guidance of the government and because of promotion by kidney care professionals, presently there are more than 40,000 prevalent PD patients in China, representing approximately 20% of the total dialysis population. Recently, a National Dialysis Unit Training Program for countywide hospitals has been initiated. Through the efforts of programs like this, we believe that awareness of PD and advances in the underlying technology will benefit more patients with end-stage kidney disease in China.