CHRONIC RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN EAST -GERMANY - A COMPARISON BETWEEN 1989 AND 1992

Because the EDTA-Reports present incomplete data, Ne performed our own survey in Ease Germany - except East-Berlin. The response rate of the dialysis units to the questionnaires was 97%. The following data comp are the end of 1989, and the end of 1992. Within these 3 years, the nu mber of dialysis units increased from 53 to 36 (+81%), that is 6.7 uni ts p.m.p. The number of dialysis stations for regular dialysis treatme nt increased from 602 to 1,276 (+112%), that is 89 stations p.m.p. The number of patients in RDT increased from 2,127 to 3,484 (+81%), that is 267 patients p.m.p. In Thuringia and Saxonia the patients were anal ysed more completely Here, the mean acceptance rate of new patients ha d been 50 patients p.m.p. in 1989, but 107 patients in 1992. The media n age of the new patients increased from 49 to 59 years, the percentag e of patients greater than or equal to 65 years of age from 16% to 42% , the percentage of diabetics from 13 to 35%. In East Germany - except East-Berlin - there lived 773 patients with a functioning renal graft in the end oi 1989, but 1,153 such patients in the end of 1992 (+49%) . The number of patients in chronic renal replacement therapy (dialysi s + functioning grafts) increased from 2,900 to 5,000 (+72%) within 3 years, and so reached 347 patients p.m.p. The progress in chronic dial ysis treatment in East Germany is very impressive, since the breakdown of the socialist system, and since the reunification of Germany.