Differences in the Characteristics of Dialysis Patients in Japan Compared with Those in Other Countries

Japanese patients undergoing dialysis have an extremely low mortality rate compared with those in the United States and Europe. As shown in the Dialysis Outcomes 38; Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), certain features of dialysis treatment, such as single treatment time and amount of blood flow, are unique to Japan, but factors contributing to the low mortality risk are unclear. Although DOPPS is a multi-country prospective cohort study, the study results may not entirely reflect the real trend in Japan because the number of Japanese institutions participating in the study is small.

In this article, we review the data reported for Japan and other countries and reveal country-specific differences, particularly in patient age distribution and duration of dialysis.

The mean age of prevalent dialysis patients is rising every year in Japan, and the proportion of patients undergoing dialysis for long periods of time is also increasing. In addition, the proportion of dialysis patients with diabetes, one of the primary diseases, has increased to a level similar to that observed in Western countries. However, no significant decline in the crude death rate among prevalent dialysis patients has been observed in Japan, presumably because of technological advances in dialysis treatment, but further studies are needed to elucidate the contributing factors.