Outcomes of chronic dialysis in Korean children with respect to survival rates and causes of death.
OBJECTIVE
Adult Korean patients on chronic dialysis have a 9-year survival rate of 50%, with cardiovascular problems being the most significant cause of death. The 2011 annual report of the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies group reported 3-year survival rates of 93.4% and relatively poorer survival in younger patients.


METHODS
In this study, we have reviewed data from Korean Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease Registry from 2002 to 2010 to assess survival rates and causes of death in Korean children on chronic dialysis.


RESULTS
The overall estimated patient survival rates were 98.4%, 94.4%, and 92.1% at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively. No significant difference was observed in survival rates between patients on peritoneal dialysis and those on hemodialysis. Patients for whom dialysis was initiated before 2 years of age (n=40) had significantly lower survival rates than those for whom dialysis was initiated at 6-11 years of age (n=140). In all, 26 patients had died; the mortality rate was 19.9 per 1,000 patient years. The most common causes of death were infections and comorbidities such as malignancy and central nervous system (CNS) or liver diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
The outcomes observed in this study were better than those observed in adults and comparable to those observed in pediatric studies in other countries. To improve the outcomes of children on chronic dialysis, it is necessary to prevent dialysis-related complications such as infection, congestive heart failure, or CNS hemorrhage and best control treatable comorbidities.
Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Hye Jin
HJ
Chang
Department of Pediatrics, Jeju National University Hospital, Jeju, Korea.
Kyoung Hee
KH
Han
Department of Pediatrics, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
Min Hyun
MH
Cho
Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Young Seo
YS
Park
Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Hee Gyung
HG
Kang
Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea. ; Kidney Research Institute, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hae Il
HI
Cheong
Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea. ; Kidney Research Institute, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Il Soo
IS
Ha
Child; Dialysis; End-stage renal disease; Outcomes; Survival