More Canadians need dialysis
CMAJ 2000;163(3):319
The use of dialysis has more than doubled in the past decade, the Canadian Organ Replacement Register reports, with 12 808 Canadians undergoing hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis in 1998. The national rate of 421.6 cases per million population marks a 107% increase over the past decade. Manitoba had the highest rate, with 625 cases per million people, while British Columbia had the lowest, at 335 per million. Although kidney transplants are the most effective way to treat kidney failure, register spokesperson Dr. Stanley Fenton says "the shortage of organs, along with increasingly older patients who tend to have other health problems, makes transplantation less feasible." About half of the people who start dialysis treatment have chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. The Canadian Institute for Health Information says the growing need for dialysis "reflects an increased incidence of end-stage renal disease among older Canadians."
 |
Send a letter to the editor Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction |
© 2000 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
