End-stage renal disease in Scotland: Outcomes and standards of care

Background. The number of patients starting renal replacement therapy (RRT) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United Kingdom rises annually. Patients are increasingly elderly with a greater prevalence of comorbid illness. Unadjusted survival, from the time of starting RRT, is not improving. The United Kingdom Renal Association has published recommended standards of treatment, which all United Kingdom nephrologists strive to attain. This study was devised to define the impact of attaining recommended treatment standards, adjusting for patient age and comorbid illnesses, upon survival on RRT in the United Kingdom population.

Methods. A prospective, registry based, observational study of all patients starting RRT in Scotland over a 1-year period, followed for the first 2 years of RRT.

Results. Of the 523 patients who were studied, 217 (41.5%) had died by 2 years of follow-up, 32% excluding deaths within the first 90 days. Age, comorbidity, weight when starting RRT, and attaining the recommended standards for albumin and hemoglobin had a significant impact upon survival.

Conclusion. This study has emphasized the very high mortality of patients starting RRT in Scotland. By paying close attention to the attainment of recommended standards of care for patients with ESRD, it may be possible to improve upon current mortality figures. The monitoring of such success is only possible if correction is made for age and comorbidity.