Need for education on the differential diagnosis between chronic glomerulonephritis and nephrosclerosis, and treatment of both conditions to reduce the number of patients requiring hemodialysis in Wakayama.

Objective: We investigated the present state of, and trends in, hemodialysis therapy in Wakayama, with the aim of identifying present and future problems.

Methods: We compared the number of patients on maintenance hemodialysis, patients newly commencing hemodialysis each year, and proportion of diseases prompting the initiation of hemodialysis, between Wakayama and all Japan from 2002 to 2009, using the CD-ROM, "An overview of dialysis treatment in Japan," published by the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy.

Results: The number of patients on maintenance hemodialysis per head of population was higher in Wakayama than in all Japan throughout the study period.