Treatment of End-Stage Renal Disease in Central and Eastern Europe: Overview of Current Status and Future Needs

The situation of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in central and eastern Europe was very poor for many years during the so called socialistic era. Economical and political liberation resulted in the significant growth of renal replacement facilities in this region. The number of hemodialysis units increased significantly (56%) during the period 1990–1996, and the number of patients treated with this modality has risen by 75%. More dramatic progress was achieved in peritoneal dialysis. The number of units performing this method of renal replacement therapy (RTT) increased by 277% and the number of patients by more than 300%. Not only quantitative but also qualitative changes were observed. More modern hemodialysis machines installed in the vast majority of units allow for the performance of bicarbonate dialysis, controlled ultrafiltration, and sodium profile modeling. Also, a wider choice of biocompatible dialyzers has become available during the last few years. The number of centers performing renal transplantation has increased significantly, but the number of renal transplants has not followed this progress. Despite all the progress, further development of all RRT methods is necessary to achieve acceptance rates comparable to those observed in developed countries.