Renal outcomes in chronic kidney disease

The prevalence of treated patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has been increasing steadily in Japan. High ESRD prevalence could be explained by multiple factors such as better survival on dialysis therapy, luxury acceptance due to insurance system to cover dialysis therapy, and 'truly' high incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The growing elderly population may also contribute to this trend. The Japanese Society of Nephrology estimated the prevalence of CKD stage 3 as 10.4%, 7.6% within the range of 50-59 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) in a screened population. Strong predictors of treated ESRD shown by using community-based screening programs and an ESRD registry in Okinawa are dip-stick-positive proteinuria and hypertension. Low glomerular filtration rate per se, which is often observed in the elderly population, is not a significant predictor of developing ESRD unless associated with proteinuria. CKD is common in Japan and is expected to increase, particularly in the elderly population. Benefits of proteinuria screening and automatic reporting of estimated glomerular filtration rate on the incidence of ESRD remain to be determined.