According to the Cnam, “this number is likely to increase with the aging of the population and, precisely, with the arrival of the generations from the baby boom in the 60-69 age group”.
Among the dialysis patients, 92% were in hemodialysis and 8% were treated in peritoneal dialysis in 2007. According to figures from the CNAM, 57% of dialysis patients are men and are 65 years old on average. The mean age is higher in patients on peritoneal dialysis (68 years) than in patients on hemodialysis (65 years).
Many people on dialysis have at least a second illness. Thus, 23% of dialysis patients suffer from diabetes, 16% suffer from a cardiovascular disease, 7% from asthma or COPD and nearly 1% from Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
Few French patients with renal failure are treated with peritoneal dialysis (nearly 4%) compared to some European countries. Thus, 14.3% of Danes with chronic renal failure are treated with peritoneal dialysis, against 11% of Swedes, and 10.6% of the British.
According to CNAM, “the major objective of the development of peritoneal dialysis is to improve the quality and comfort of patient care. It also makes it possible to reduce the costs of managing renal failure”.
