Peritoneal Dialysis in Iran and the Middle East

The countries of the Middle East have a cumulative population of 261.1 million and a mean gross national income per capita of US$9500. The total number of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the Middle East is almost 100000, the mean prevalence being 430 per million population (pmp). The first implementation of intermittent peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the Middle East occurred in Turkey in 1968; continuous ambulatory PD started in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Kuwait in the 1980s; and automated PD, in Turkey in 1998. The total active PD patients in the region number approximately 8170. With 5750 patients, Turkey ranks first, followed by Iran and Saudi Arabia with 1150 and 771 patients respectively. Penetration of PD with respect to the ESRD population is 7.5%, and with respect to dialysis overall is 10.2%. The dialysis rate in the region, 312 pmp, is almost half the European number of 581 pmp, with a PD prevalence of 32 pmp (range: 0 – 81 pmp). The number of active PD patients has risen dramatically in the main countries since the end of the 1990s: Turkey, to 5750 from 1030; Saudi Arabia, to 771 from 132; and Iran to 1150 from 0.