Hemodialysis Use and Practice Patterns: An International Survey Study.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Hemodialysis (HD) is the most common form of kidney replacement therapy. This study aimed to examine the use, availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of HD care worldwide. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Stakeholders (clinicians, policy makers, and consumer representatives) in 182 countries were convened by the International Society of Nephrology from July to September 2018. OUTCOMES: Use, availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality of HD care. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Overall, representatives from 160 (88%) countries participated. Median country-specific use of maintenance HD was 298.4 (IQR, 80.5-599.4) per million population (pmp). Global median HD use among incident patients with kidney failure was 98.0 (IQR, 81.5-140.8) pmp and median number of HD centers was 4.5 (IQR, 1.2-9.9) pmp. Adequate HD services (3-4 hours 3 times weekly) were generally available in 27% of low-income countries. Home HD was generally available in 36% of high-income countries. 32% of countries performed monitoring of patient-reported outcomes; 61%, monitoring of small-solute clearance; 60%, monitoring of bone mineral markers; 51%, monitoring of technique survival; and 60%, monitoring of patient survival. At initiation of maintenance dialysis, only 5% of countries used an arteriovenous access in almost all patients. Vascular access education was suboptimal, funding for vascular access procedures was not uniform, and copayments were greater in countries with lower levels of income. Patients in 23% of the low-income countries had to pay >75% of HD costs compared with patients in only 4% of high-income countries. LIMITATIONS: A cross-sectional survey with possibility of response bias, social desirability bias, and limited data collection preventing in-depth analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, findings reveal substantial variations in global HD use, availability, accessibility, quality, and affordability worldwide, with the lowest use evident in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Peritoneal Dialysis Use and Practice Patterns: An International Survey Study.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Approximately 11% of people with kidney failure worldwide are treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study examined PD use and practice patterns across the globe. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Stakeholders including clinicians, policy makers, and patient representatives in 182 countries convened by the International Society of Nephrology between July and September 2018. OUTCOMES: PD use, availability, accessibility, affordability, delivery, and reporting of quality outcome measures. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Responses were received from 88% (n=160) of countries and there were 313 participants (257 nephrologists [82%], 22 non-nephrologist physicians [7%], 6 other health professionals [2%], 17 administrators/policy makers/civil servants [5%], and 11 others [4%]). 85% (n=156) of countries responded to questions about PD. Median PD use was 38.1 per million population. PD was not available in 30 of the 156 (19%) countries responding to PD-related questions, particularly in countries in Africa (20/41) and low-income countries (15/22). In 69% of countries, PD was the initial dialysis modality for≤10% of patients with newly diagnosed kidney failure. Patients receiving PD were expected to pay 1% to 25% of treatment costs, and higher (>75%) copayments (out-of-pocket expenses incurred by patients) were more common in South Asia and low-income countries. Average exchange volumes were adequate (defined as 3-4 exchanges per day or the equivalent for automated PD) in 72% of countries. PD quality outcome monitoring and reporting were variable. Most countries did not measure patient-reported PD outcomes. LIMITATIONS: Low responses from policy makers; limited ability to provide more in-depth explanations underpinning outcomes from each country due to lack of granular data; lack of objective data. CONCLUSIONS: Large inter- and intraregional disparities exist in PD availability, accessibility, affordability, delivery, and reporting of quality outcome measures around the world, with the greatest gaps observed in Africa and South Asia.

National health policies and strategies for addressing chronic kidney disease: Data from the International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas.

National strategies for addressing chronic kidney disease (CKD) are crucial to improving kidney health. We sought to describe country-level variations in non-communicable disease (NCD) strategies and CKD-specific policies across different regions and income levels worldwide. The International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas (GKHA) was a multinational cross-sectional survey conducted between July and October 2018. Responses from key opinion leaders in each country regarding national NCD strategies, the presence and scope of CKD-specific policies, and government recognition of CKD as a health priority were described overall and according to region and income level. 160 countries participated in the GKHA survey, comprising 97.8% of the world's population. Seventy-four (47%) countries had an established national NCD strategy, and 53 (34%) countries reported the existence of CKD-specific policies, with substantial variation across regions and income levels. Where CKD-specific policies existed, non-dialysis CKD care was variably addressed. 79 (51%) countries identified government recognition of CKD as a health priority. Low- and low-middle income countries were less likely to have strategies and policies for addressing CKD and have governments which recognise it as a health priority. The existence of CKD-specific policies, and a national NCD strategy more broadly, varied substantially across different regions around the world but was overall suboptimal, with major discrepancies between the burden of CKD in many countries and governmental recognition of CKD as a health priority. Greater recognition of CKD within national health policy is critical to improving kidney healthcare globally.

Management of pain at arteriovenous fistula puncture: Cryotherapy versus lidocaine/prilocaine.

Pain at arteriovenous fistula (AVF) puncture is common in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The purpose of our work is to determine its frequency, to evaluate the efficiency of two techniques: anesthetic cream (Emla™) and cryotherapy, and to compare their efficiency. A prospective and interventional analytical study of HD patients was conducted in our structure. We included all patients with pain at AVF puncture. We evaluated the pain intensity using a visual analogue scale before and after our intervention: Emla™ cream during three consecutive HD sessions, then cryotherapy (ice cubes placed in latex gloves, during 5 min, directly applied on the puncture sites) during three consecutive HD sessions. The statistical analysis was performed using the Epi Info software. Eighty-four patients are undergoing HD in our structure, of which 32 (38%) report pain at AVF puncture. The mean value of the visual analog scale before the puncture was 7.19 ± 1.95 (4-10). Pain decrease was statistically significant for both techniques. Comparative analysis of the two techniques revealed a significant reduction in pain in favor of cryotherapy (P 0.001). The analgesic effect has been proved for both techniques. Cryotherapy provides higher efficiency, with fewer constraints, and could be proposed for the management of pain at AVF puncture.

Reducing major risk factors for chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health concern and a key determinant of poor health outcomes. While the burden of CKD is reasonably well defined in developed countries, increasing evidence indicates that the CKD burden may be even greater in developing countries. Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity are major contributors to the global burden of the disease and are important traditional CKD risk factors; however, nontraditional CKD risk factors such as nephrotoxin exposure, kidney stones, fetal and maternal factors, infections, environmental factors, and acute kidney injury are also increasingly being recognized as major threats to global kidney health. A broad approach to CKD prevention begins with the identification of CKD risk factors in the population, followed by the development of appropriate mitigation strategies. Effective prevention policies rely on an accurate understanding of the incidence and prevalence of CKD in a given setting, as well as the distribution and burden of risk factors. Populations or individuals at CKD risk must be screened and treated early to prevent the onset of and delay the progression of the kidney disease. Systematically collected data should be analyzed at country, province, and district levels to identify regional disparities and CKD hotspots and develop targeted prevention strategies. Race-ethnicity, genetics, sex, socioeconomic status, and geography are likely modifiers of CKD risk. A comprehensive, informed approach to prevention that takes into account all of these factors is therefore required to successfully tackle the global CKD epidemic.

Maremar, prevalence of chronic kidney disease, how to avoid over-diagnosis and under-diagnosis.

Chronic kidney disease is considered as a major public health problem. Recent studies mention a prevalence rate between 8%-12%. Several editorials, comments, short reviews described the weaknesses (lack of confirmation of proteinuria, and of chronicity of decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate) of a substantial number of studies and the irrational of using a single arbitrary set point, i.e. diagnosis of chronic kidney disease whenever the estimated glomerular filtration rate is less than 60mL/min/1.73m(2). Maremar (Maladies rénales chroniques au Maroc) is a prevalence study of chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes and obesity in a randomized, representative, high response rate (85%), sample of the adult population of Morocco, strictly applying the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Compared to the vast majority of the available studies, Maremar has a low prevalence of chronic kidney disease (2.9% adjusted to the actual adult population of Morocco). The population pyramid, and particularly the confirmation of proteinuria and "chronicity" of the decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate are the main reasons for this low prevalence of chronic kidney disease. The choice of arbitrary single threshold of estimated glomerular filtration rate for classifying stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease inevitably leads to "over-diagnosis" (false positives) of the disease in the elderly, particularly those without proteinuria, hematuria or hypertension, and to "under-diagnosed" (false negatives) in younger individuals with an estimated glomerular filtration rate above 60mL/min/1.73m(2) and below the 3rd percentile of their age/gender category. There is an urgent need for quality studies using in a correct way the recent KDIGO guidelines when investigating the prevalence of chronic kidney disease, in order to avoid a 50 to 100% overestimation of a disease state with potential dramatic consequences. The combination of the general population screening encompassing four different major health problems in the same screening procedure, using the correct methodologies and procedures, combined with a prevention/follow-up program results in a clinically/scientifically relevant program.

Sexual dysfunction in male patients undergoing hemodialysis in morocco.

Sexual dysfunction impairs the quality of life of patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the nature of sexual dysfunction in a Moroccan cohort of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on HD. This cross-sectional study was carried out with a questionnaire in 86 patients undergoing hemodialysis. Clinical and biological investigations were done. The mean age of our patients was 46.27 +/- 15.68 years old. 81.4% of the cases suffered from a decrease in sexual activity after the onset of HD. The decrease or the loss of libido was noted in 59.3% of the cases. Total impotence was present in 22.1% of the cases and 36% reported partial impotence. Ejaculation was present in 86% of the cases. The comparison between the group of patients who had no sexual dysfunction (group I) and the group of those who had this problem (group II) showed significant differences of age, social status and sexual life before HD. Other significant differences were found regarding frequency of intercourses and sexual satisfaction. Group II was divided into 2 subgroups: IIA included patients who had sexual dysfunction before HD and IIB: those who developed it after. The comparison of this subgroups showed that differences were significant regarding age, weight and vascular risk factors (diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis). Sildenafil was more efficient in the patients of the subgroup IIB. This study suggested that HD was one of many factors causing sexual dysfunction in hemodialysed patients. After this clinical evaluation of sexual dysfunction, we emphasize the value of a global approach of this problem. The use of sildenafil seems to be more valuable in young patients with erectile dysfunction which appeared after long dialysis duration.