Increasing Rates of Kidney Failure Care in Canada Strains Demand for Kidney Donors

Abstract

The number of patients with kidney failure is on the rise in Canada, leading to a higher need for dialysis treatment and greater demand for kidney transplants, which have superior patient outcomes and lower healthcare system costs than dialysis treatments. This study examines the incidence and prevalence of kidney failure and renal replacement therapies between 2005 and 2014. The number of patients on dialysis has increased by 31% over this decade. The number of annual kidney transplants performed has also increased along with the waiting list for a kidney transplant, resulting in a persistent 2.5 times gap between patients on a waiting list for a kidney and the number of kidney transplants performed. New programs to increase organ donation to kidney failure patients have led to improvements, but have not been able to close this gap. Continued innovations are needed to preserve kidney function for patients with chronic kidney disease and to promote and increase donation rates in Canada to improve the quality of life and survival of thousands of patients, as well as save hundreds of millions of dollars to healthcare systems in Canada.