UK Renal Registry 16th annual report: chapter 1 UK renal replacement therapy incidence in 2012: national and centre-specific analyses.

INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the characteristics of adult patients starting renal replacement therapy (RRT: kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant) in the UK in 2012 and the incidence rates for RRT in Primary Care Trusts and Health Boards (PCT/HBs) in the UK.

METHODS

Basic demographic and clinical characteristics are reported on patients starting RRT at all UK renal centres. Presentation time, defined as time between first being seen by a nephrologist and start of RRT, was also studied. Age and gender standardised ratios for incidence rates in PCT/HBs were also calculated.

RESULTS

In 2012, RRT was initiated in 6,891 patients across the UK, an incidence rate similar to 2011 at 108 per million population (pmp). There were wide variations between PCT/HBs in standardised incidence ratios. The median age for Whites was 66.1 and for non-Whites 57.8 years. Diabetic renal disease remained the single most common cause of renal failure (26%). By 90 days, 66.9% of patients were on haemodialysis (HD), 19.0% on peritoneal dialysis (PD), 8.3% had had a transplant and 5.9% had died or stopped treatment. There was variability between centres in the use of PD as an initial treatment (3-48%). The mean eGFR at the start of RRT was 8.5 ml/min/1.73 m(2) similar to previous years. Late presentation (<90 days) fell from 23.9% in 2006 to 19.3% in 2012. Fifty-three percent of patients who started on HD had died within five years of starting. This compared to 30% and 4% for those starting on PD or transplant respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of new patients starting renal replacement therapy in the UK has remained unchanged for almost 10 years in contrast to the rising prevalence. The year on year increase in pre-emptive transplantation is encouraging but the variability between centres in the percentages starting on PD should be explored further.