Current incidence, treatment patterns and outcome of end-stage renal disease among indigenous groups in Australia and New Zealand

SUMMARY: The changes in rates of treated end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among indigenous populations have profound consequences for those individuals affected and for health-care providers. By using data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry, we examined the current incidence, treatment and outcomes of ESRD among indigenous groups in Australia and New Zealand. All patients who began renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Australia or New Zealand between October 1991 and September 2000 were included. Rates of ESRD, RRT modalities, renal transplantation and mortality were the outcomes examined. End-stage renal disease rates among indigenous groups in Australia and New Zealand exceeded non-indigenous rates up to eightfold. The median age of indigenous ESRD patients was younger (51 vs 60 years, P  < 0.0001), and there was an excess of comorbidities, particularly diabetes. For Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and New Zealand Maori patients, mortality rates across all modalities of RRT were 70% higher than non-indigenous rates. Indigenous people were less likely to receive a renal transplant prior to dialysis treatment, less likely to be accepted onto the cadaveric transplant waiting list, and less likely to receive a well-matched transplant. The poorer outcomes among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and New Zealand Maori patients did not appear to be explained by the different comorbid conditions or age. Whether the outcomes reflect unmeasured differences in disease burden or treatment differences is not known. Tackling this problem will involve a spectrum of people and approaches, from tertiary care providers and RRT to local staff and preventative programs.