Social disparities in the prevalence of diabetes in Australia and in the development of end stage renal disease due to diabetes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia and Maori and Pacific Islanders in New Zealand.

Background: Disparities in health status occur between people with differing socioeconomic status and disadvantaged groups usually have the highest risk exposure and the worst health outcome. We sought to examine the social disparities in the population prevalence of diabetes and in the development of treated end stage renal disease due to type 1 diabetes which has not previously been studied in Australia and New Zealand in isolation from type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This observational study examined the population prevalence of diabetes in a sample of the Australian population (7,434,492) using data from the National Diabetes Services Scheme and of treated end stage renal disease due to diabetes using data from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry.

The impact of antecedent trauma exposure and mental health symptoms on the post-deployment mental health of Afghanistan-deployed Australian troops.

Background: Both traumatic deployment experiences and antecedent traumas increase personnel's risk of developing PTSD and depression. However, only cross-sectional studies have assessed whether antecedent trauma moderates stress reactions to deployment experiences. This study prospectively examines whether antecedent trauma moderates the association between deployment trauma and post-deployment PTSD and depressive symptoms after accounting for antecedent mental health problems, in a large Australian Defence Force (ADF) sample.

Residential Location and Kidney Transplant Outcomes in Indigenous Compared With Nonindigenous Australians.

Background: Indigenous Australians experience significantly worse graft and patient outcomes after kidney transplantation compared with nonindigenous Australians. It is unclear whether rural versus urban residential location might contribute to this.

Methods: All adult patients from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry who received a kidney transplant in Australia between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2012, were investigated.

Racial disparities in pediatric kidney transplantation in New Zealand.

Racial disparities in transplantation rates and outcomes have not been investigated in detail for NZ, a country with unique demographics. We studied a retrospective cohort of 215 patients <18 yr who started renal replacement therapy in NZ 1990-2012, using the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA). Primary outcomes were time to first kidney transplant, death-censored graft survival, and retransplantation after loss of primary graft.

Socioeconomic differences in the uptake of home dialysis.

Background And Objectives: Home dialysis creates fewer lifestyle disruptions while providing similar or better outcomes than in-center hemodialysis. Socioeconomically advantaged patients are more likely to commence home dialysis (peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis) in many developed countries. This study investigated associations between socioeconomic status and uptake of home dialysis in Australia, a country with universal access to health care and comparatively high rates of home dialysis.

Renal replacement therapy associated with lithium nephrotoxicity in Australia.

Objective: To analyse the annual incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) associated with lithium-induced nephropathy (LiN) in Australia.

Design, Setting And Participants: Retrospective cohort study of patients commencing renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Australia. We compared patients with LiN with all other RRT patients between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 2011, using Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry data.

The immune phenotype may relate to cancer development in kidney transplant recipients.

High regulatory T-cell (Treg) numbers predict recurrent cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in kidney transplant recipients, and the Treg immune phenotype may identify kidney transplant recipients at risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma and/or solid-organ cancer. To investigate this, a total of 116 kidney transplant recipients, of whom 65 had current or past cancer, were immune-phenotyped and followed up prospectively for a median of 15 months. Higher Treg (CD3+CD4+FOXP3+CD25(Hi)CD127(Lo)) proportion and numbers significantly increased the odds of developing cancer (odds ratios (95% CI) 1.

Peritoneal dialysis in rural Australia.

Background: Australians living in rural areas have lower incidence rates of renal replacement therapy and poorer dialysis survival compared with urban dwellers. This study compares peritoneal dialysis (PD) patient characteristics and outcomes in rural and urban Australia.

Methods: Non-indigenous Australian adults who commenced chronic dialysis between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2010 according to the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) were investigated.

Pregnancy outcomes according to dialysis commencing before or after conception in women with ESRD.

Background And Objectives: Pregnancy in ESRD is rare and poses substantial risk for mother and baby. This study describes a large series of pregnancies in women undergoing long-term dialysis treatment and reviews maternal and fetal outcomes. Specifically, women who had conceived before and after starting long-term dialysis are compared.

Does equal care give equal outcomes?

Kidney transplant recipients of lower socioeconomic status (SES) or from lower-SES areas have comparatively poor graft survival. Whether this results in poorer patient survival after kidney transplantation was largely unknown. Begaj et al.

Racial disparities in paediatric kidney transplantation.

Background: Transplantation is the preferred treatment for children with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Pre-emptive transplants, those from live donors and with few human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches provide the best outcomes. Studies into disparities in paediatric transplantation to date have not adequately disentangled different transplant types.

Socio-economic status and incidence of renal replacement therapy: a registry study of Australian patients.

Background: Socio-economic disadvantage has been linked to higher incidence of end-stage kidney disease in developed countries. Associations between socio-economic status (SES) and incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) have not been explored for different kidney diseases, genders or age groups in a country with universal access to healthcare.

Methods: We investigated the incidence of non-indigenous patients commencing RRT in Australia in 2000-09, using the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant (ANZDATA) Registry.

Transplantation rates for living- but not deceased-donor kidneys vary with socioeconomic status in Australia.

Socioeconomic disadvantage has been linked to reduced access to kidney transplantation. To understand and address potential barriers to transplantation, we used the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry and examined primary kidney-only transplantation among adult non-Indigenous patients who commenced chronic renal replacement therapy in Australia during 2000-2010. Socioeconomic status was derived from residential postcodes using standard indices.

Body mass index and postoperative complications in kidney transplant recipients.

Background: There is a growing number of overweight and obese patients receiving kidney transplants, despite elevated body mass index (BMI) being associated with postoperative complications. Understanding associations between BMI and complications would allow more objectivity when recommending patients for transplantation or otherwise.

Methods: We analysed a retrospective cohort of 508 adult patients who received primary kidney grafts at a single centre in South Australia, 2002-2009, using hospital records and Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) data.

Increases in renal replacement therapy in Australia and New Zealand: understanding trends in diabetic nephropathy.

Aim: The incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has been increasing worldwide, with increasing numbers of older people, people with diabetic nephropathy and indigenous people. We investigated the incidence of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Australia and New Zealand (NZ) to better understand the causes of these effects.

Methods: Data from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA)registry and relevant population data were used to investigate the incidence of RRT in five demographic groups: Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, Māori, Pacific Islanders and other New Zealanders, as well as differences between genders and age groups.