title: [Survival of hemodialysis patients in Lithuania (data from all hemodialysis centers in the 1998-2005 cohort)].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is no any official renal registry in Lithuania, so in order to know the exact demographic statistics of patients on hemodialysis, we started to collect data since 1996. The aim of the study was to estimate the survival rate of hemodialysis patients and its dynamics, to compare survival in different groups of sex, age, primary renal disease, and to compare to survival of dialysis patients in Europe.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the data of all patients who started hemodialysis in Lithuania between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2005. The information was obtained from medical documentation. The total survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Maier method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 2418 patients started hemodialysis (51.7% of males, 48.3% of females). Their mean age at the beginning of treatment was 56.19+/-16.12 years. Death occurred in 792 patients. The main cause of death was cardiovascular events, accounting for 32.3%. The total survival rate of hemodialysis patients in Lithuania at 1 year was 79.97%; at 2 years, 69.18%; at 5 years, 49.97%; at 7 years, 38.3%. Males lived longer than females (log rank P<0.05), but the mean age of females was greater, and survival rate adjusted for age did not differ between the groups. The highest survival rate was in the youngest group (0-19 years old), the lowest - in patients older than 75 years. Diabetic patients lived shorter than nondiabetic patients (log rank P<0.00001). Although patients who start hemodialysis have become older and their survival has been improving, in the 1998-2002 cohort survival was lower as compared to overall survival of patients on dialysis in European countries participating in ERA-EDTA registry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival of hemodialysis patients in Lithuania in the 1998-2005 cohort depended on age and primary renal disease and despite aging of population on hemodialysis has been improving.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas, Lithuania. nefrolog@kmu.lt
authors.forename: Asta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stankuviene
authors.forename: Inga Arūne
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bumblyte
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kuzminskis
authors.forename: Edita
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ziginskiene
authors.forename: Vilma
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balciuviene
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000401:mortality*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors