Kidney disease on the increase in elderly women
Canadian Institute For Health Information - February 11, 2004

New data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) show that the number of patients being treated for end-stage renal disease (kidney failure) climbed by nearly 20 percent in five years, from 13 people per 100,000 in 1997 to 16 per 100,000 in 2001. Of all new patients in 2001, 55 percent were 65 years of age or older.

Although men still accounted for the majority (58 percent) of patients in 2001, much of the recent growth in treatment for end-stage renal disease in the 65 and older population occurred among women. From 1997 to 2001, there was a 45 percent increase in the rate for women 65 years and older starting treatment for kidney failure, compared to an increase of 23 percent for men. Women 65 years and older represented 42 percent of all patients in this age group in 2001, up from 39 percent in 1997.

‘The growth in end-stage renal disease has implications in terms of both the health of Canadians — particularly older Canadians — and the capacity of the health care system to provide the treatment needed for these patients,’ said Dr. Joanne Kappel, division of nephrology, department of medicine at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon, and an advisor to the CIHI.

‘Assuming that the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Canada is similar to the US, an estimated 600,000 people in Canada may have chronic kidney disease. Without interventions, many of these patients may develop end-stage renal disease requiring long-term dialysis or kidney transplantation.’

These recently released figures came from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR), a national database managed by CIHI, which records, analyzes and reports on treatment trends and outcomes for end-stage organ failure.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is any chronic disease or abnormality in which the kidneys are permanently impaired and can no longer function normally to maintain life. In order to survive, patients must receive some form of renal dialysis or a kidney transplant. At the end of December 2001 there were nearly 16,000 patients receiving dialysis in Canada.

Diabetes: A Key Risk Factor

For 33 percent of the patients who started treatment for ESRD in 2001, diabetes was the primary cause of kidney failure, up from 29 percent in 1997. The increase in diabetes among new ESRD patients was most pronounced among patients 65 years of age and older. In 2001, 30 percent of these patients were diagnosed with diabetes as their primary cause of kidney failure, up from 25 percent in 1997.

‘Canadians and their physicians need to be aware that diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerotic heart disease (hardening of the arteries) and a family history of kidney disease are some of the key risk factors associated with kidney disease,’ said Kappel.

‘Many people with chronic kidney disease are not diagnosed until their kidneys have failed. Early detection is imperative in our efforts to slow or halt the progression of kidney disease.’