Present status and future of peritoneal dialysis in Japan

The results of a nationwide statistical survey of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in Japan (PD registry) were reported at the end of 2012. There were 9,514 PD patients at the end of 2012 (3.1%), indicating 128 fewer than in the 2011 survey (9,642 patients). There were 347 non-PD+catheter patients, and 175 patients were started on PD in 2012 but were switched to another therapy in the same year. The sum of these 522 patients and the total number of PD patients (i.e. the total number of PD-therapy-related patients) was 10,036 (522 + 9,514). The PD-only patients numbered 7,323 (80.4%), and the PD+hemodialysis (HD) patients numbered 1,788 (19.6%). Of these 9,111 PD patients, 1,428 patients (15.7%) underwent HD once per week; 219 patients (2.4%), twice per week; and 55 patients (0.6%), three times per week. The PD+HD patients (1,788) accounted for 19.6% of all PD patients. In addition, 39.8% of PD patients were using the poly-glucose dialysis solution icodextrin (Extraneal). Around 40% of PD patients were using icodextrin, a much higher percentage than in other countries. What is the likelihood that the number of PD patients in Japan will gradually decrease (or increase) in the future? Regarding the dialysis trend in Japan, it is unlikely that the number of PD patients will increase. I think that if the government greatly increases the medical insurance coverage of PD treatment, the number of PD patients in Japan will increase as much as it recently has in the United States. If not, it is extremely unlikely that there will be a large increase in the number of PD patients in Japan.