Epidemiology of chronic kidney disease stage V treated in southeastern Algeria: prospective study from 2016 to 2018

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease stage V, by its incidence and its prevalence which are constantly increasing in the world and in Algeria, the morbidity and mortality it generates, the high cost of its treatment, represents a major public health issue. Our objective is to describe the epidemiology of stage V chronic kidney disease treated in south-eastern Algeria.

Patients and methods: In our regional, multicenter, prospective descriptive study, all patients with stage V chronic kidney disease, residing and treated in south-eastern Algeria between September 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017, were included and followed up until December 31, 2018.

Results: Stage V chronic kidney disease is a frequent pathology in the region: 1934 patients were included. It mainly affects young people: the average age of patients was 50.17 ± 16.98 years, with a male predominance of 59.10%. High blood pressure and diabetes are the two main causes. The start of dialysis on a temporary catheter represents 81.5% of cases, the initial management requires emergency dialysis in 91.2% of cases. In total, 97.1% of chronic hemodialysis patients use an arteriovenous fistula as a permanent vascular access.

Conclusion: Our study population is younger than that of developed countries and has fewer comorbidities and disabilities but lower survival and high mortality. The developing national chronic kidney disease stage V registry is becoming an absolute necessity. It will allow to have a better knowledge of its epidemiology and the needs of its care in each region. It can contribute to improving the prevention and management of this disease.