Canadian Organ Shortage Causing Rise In Dialysis Use

Ottawa

More and more Canadians are turning to renal dialysis because of a shortage of kidneys for organ transplant, says the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

According to CIHI statistics, 12,808 patients were on dialysis in 1998, more than double the number 10 years before. The numbers show a steady increase in cases of end stage renal disease with about 700 new dialysis patients every year between 1988 and 1998.

Similar increases occurred between 1981 to 1988.

The increase is also being attributed to a growing number of older patients suffering from renal failure, kidney disease and diabetes.

For most patients the best treatment for end stage renal disease, in which the kidneys have been permanently damaged and stopped functioning normally, is a kidney transplant. But with a short supply of organs and a greater number of older patients with other health problems, the kidney-transplant option is becoming less and less available.

Still, dialysis can add years to a patient's life as it removes toxic materials from the bloodstream and maintains a balance between fluid, electrolyte and acid in cases of impaired kidneys.

The statistics come from the Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR), a national database managed by CIHI.

Copyright © 2000 CBC.

This article posted July 8, 2000.