Prevalence of Dialysis Therapy Is Skyrocketing Worldwide

Worldwide, there has been a 165% increase in dialysis treatments for ESRD over the past two decades, according to research presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013. The prevalence of dialysis therapy for countries with universal dialysis access increased by 134% after adjusting for population growth and aging. For countries without universal dialysis access, adjusted prevalence increased by 102%. The findings come from an analysis of information from the Global Burden of Disease database, national and regional ESRD registries, and a literature review of studies from 1990 and 2010. Data from 26 countries that lack routine access to dialysis were excluded.