Mortality in Children Treated With Maintenance Peritoneal Dialysis: Findings From the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network Registry.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Research on pediatric kidney replacement therapy (KRT) has primarily focused on Europe and North America. In this study, we describe the mortality risk of children treated with maintenance peritoneal dialysis (MPD) in different parts of the world and characterize the associated demographic and macroeconomic factors. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients younger than 19 years at inclusion into the International Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Network registry, who initiated MPD between 1996 and 2017. EXPOSURE: Region as primary exposure (Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania). Other demographic, clinical, and macroeconomic (4 income groups based on gross national income) factors also were studied. OUTCOME: All-cause MPD mortality. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Patients were observed for 3 years, and the mortality rates in different regions and income groups were calculated. Cause-specific hazards models with random effects were fit to calculate the proportional change in variance for factors that could explain variation in mortality rates. RESULTS: A total of 2,956 patients with a median age of 7.8 years at the start of KRT were included. After 3 years, the overall probability of death was 5%, ranging from 2% in North America to 9% in Eastern Europe. Mortality rates were higher in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Income category explained 50.1% of the variance in mortality risk between regions. Other explanatory factors included peritoneal dialysis modality at start (22.5%) and body mass index (11.1%). LIMITATIONS: The interpretation of interregional survival differences as found in this study may be hampered by selection bias. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the overall 3-year patient survival on pediatric MPD is high, and that country income is associated with patient survival.

Renal replacement therapy for children throughout the world: the need for a global registry.

BACKGROUND: To describe the factors affecting the incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) among children, information from RRT registries is required. We aimed to give an overview of existing pediatric RRT registries worldwide, identify regions with a need to commence or increase data collection on pediatric RRT, and provide a rationale for developing a global RRT registry. METHODS: A survey assessing pediatric RRT registry status was sent to International Pediatric Nephrology Associateion (IPNA) members in 127 countries in January 2016. The survey was complemented by a systematic literature search for active pediatric RRT registries. RESULTS: Complete survey responses were retrieved from 94 countries (representing 86.2% of the world childhood population), with 84 (81.2%) having the means to provide RRT to children, given that there are no other limitations such as financial, social, or religious restraints. Fifty-one (35.3%) countries had national registries for both dialysis and transplantation, nine (30.0%) either had a dialysis or a transplant registry, six participated in international registries only (2.7%), and in 18 (13.2%), children on RRT were not followed in any registry. The search identified 92 pediatric RRT registries, primarily national registries located in Europe, North America, and Asia. CONCLUSIONS: Although pediatric RRT can be provided in 84 countries representing 81.2% of the world's childhood population, national pediatric RRT registries are unavailable in many countries. To improve knowledge about the incidence and outcomes of pediatric RRT around the globe, an international population-based pediatric RRT registry has recently been initiated.

Long-Term Risk of Cancer in Survivors of Pediatric ESRD.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: ESRD is associated with an increased risk of malignancies. We analyzed the incidence of cancer in patients with pediatric ESRD after long-term follow-up. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: All Dutch patients born before 1979 who were transplanted at age <15 years old in 1972-1992 were followed until 2010. We explored type and incidence of malignancies in patients compared with the general population using the National Cancer Registry. RESULTS: After a median of 25.3 years (1.3-37.8) of transplantation and at a median age of 33.5 years old (11.0-49.0), 105 primary malignancies had occurred in 54 of 249 patients. Among them, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma was most frequent. Patients ages 25-30 years old had developed 16.5 times (95% confidence interval, 7.9 to 34.6) as many de novo tumors and 991 times (95% confidence interval, 313 to 3137) as many de novo cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas as their general population counterparts; in survivors ages 45-50 years old, these numbers were 81.5 (95% confidence interval, 50.7 to 131.1) and 2610 (95% confidence interval, 1596 to 4267), respectively. Cumulative incidence competing risk analysis showed that, after 30 years of transplantation, 41% of the survivors had developed cancer; 31% had developed a second de novo cancer <1 year after initial cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer is highly prevalent among patients with pediatric ESRD after 25.3 years of transplantation, with a high rate of recurrence.