Regional Variation in the Use of Percutaneous Kidney Biopsy in Japan

The regional variation in the use of percutaneous kidney biopsy in Japan remains unknown. There are several large datasets of kidney biopsies in Japan, but an exhaustive survey of kidney biopsies is lacking.

We analyzed insurance claims for percutaneous kidney biopsies registered in the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan, which is the closest to a complete dataset of kidney biopsies performed in Japan. In combination with other nationwide survey results, the number of inpatient percutaneous kidney biopsies per population in each prefecture was calculated. Factors associated with the frequency of percutaneous kidney biopsies were also explored.

The database contained 22,419 health insurance claims for percutaneous kidney biopsy in the fiscal year 2020. The frequency of inpatient percutaneous kidney biopsies could be up to 4.8 times as frequent in one prefecture than in another, even after adjusting for age and sex. The frequency of inpatient percutaneous kidney biopsies showed a positive correlation with the number of annual kidney transplants and patients on peritoneal dialysis per population and a weak negative correlation with the prevalence of reduced kidney function in the population aged 40-74 years.

We found a large regional variation in the frequency of inpatient percutaneous kidney biopsies. Kidney transplants and peritoneal dialysis might be offered more frequently in regions with a higher frequency of kidney biopsy. This is the first dataset that shows more than 20,000 kidney biopsies were performed per year in Japan, as of 2020.