In the United States of America, virtually any patient who develops kidney failure is likely to receive renal replacement treatment (dialysis or transplantation). There are currently over 300,000 patients in the US receiving renal replacement therapy. This translates to over 1000 patients on treatment for kidney failure for every one million of population.

Each year, an additional (approximately) 280 patients per million population start treatment for kidney failure. Worldwide, there are currently over 1 million patients treated for kidney failure and more than 70% of these are treated in the countries with fully developed economies.

Japan, another country that also has almost universal access to kidney failure treatment, has similar rates for new patients starting treatment and even higher rates for all patients receiving treatment compared to the US. In Taiwan, the rate for new patients each year is 300 per million population. These numbers suggest that, if all or almost all treatable patients with kidney failure actually receive treatment we can expect a rate for new patients with kidney failure of between 250 and 300 for every million population each year.

The population of Asia exceeds 3.5 billion. Were the rate of treatment in Asia the same as in Japan or the US, over 500,000 new patients would start renal replacement treatment each year and over 3 million patients would be currently receiving treatment. In fact, there are currently just over 300,000 patients receiving treatment for kidney failure in Asia. The reason for the short fall is economics. It is not that kidney failure is less common in Asia than in the US or Europe or Japan but that the funds are not available to provide treatment for more than about 10% of those in need.

[Illustration: Dialysis Patients in Asia]

[Illustration: New Patients, Asia]

The above are intended to be general information and not intended to be treated as a diagnosis whatsoever. You are asked to seek professional medical advice relating to all questions on treatment, care, diagnosis and medication.