Economic Issues of Chronic Kidney Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease

With the growth in the global economy, the number of patients worldwide undergoing renal replacement therapy such as hemodialysis is increasing by 6-7% annually. Accordingly, medical costs for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as well as for renal replacement therapy have become a major issue.

It has been reported that in the United States, the annual medical cost for a patient with CKD is approximately USD 20,000, and that the total medical cost for a CKD patient is higher than that of an ESRD patient [1]. In the present study, we found that the medical costs for renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Japan are reasonable compared to those in the United States and Europe. Key Messages: The medical costs for RRT in Japan are reasonable and are not a major issue in Japan.