Health disparities in renal disease in Canada

Abstract

Canada is a geographically diverse and multicultural country where health care access is, in theory, universal. Despite this principle of universality, evidence suggests that disparities exist in several areas of renal health in Canada. Aboriginal Canadians suffer from higher rates of dialysis initiation and poorer access to renal transplant compared with whites. Similar disparities in access to renal transplant exist for other ethnic minorities including East and Indo Asians and African Canadians. Interestingly, in Canada, East and Indo Asian Canadians have higher rates of peritoneal dialysis uptake than whites initiating dialysis, and significantly better survival on dialysis. Further research into these health disparities could improve access and outcomes in renal disease.