Preventable kidney failure: the cost of diabetes neglect?

Aims: Diabetic kidney disease is currently responsible for 45% of new patients reaching end-stage chronic kidney disease in New Zealand. Since much of this may be prevented or deferred, we have made a preliminary analysis of the cost of diabetic nephropathy to New Zealand for those patients requiring renal replacement therapy (dialysis or transplantation).

Methods: Patient numbers were obtained from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry and the Christchurch Hospital Nephrology database.