Burden of end-stage kidney disease: North Africa

Geographical, ecological, and genetic factors result in many similarities among the six main countries of the African Sahara, including the epidemiology of kidney disease. With an average incidence of 182 and prevalence of 522 patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) per million population, North Africa (NA) spends $650 million on dialysis and transplantation despite an estimated annual loss of 600,000 life years. The health burden of ESKD is not limited to its directly-related morbidity and mortality but affects even more significantly other body systems, particularly the cardiovascular system. In addition, dialysis units are reservoirs for infectious agents, such as hepatitis-C (HCV) and-B (HBV) viruses, and methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRSA), which threaten the health of the community. Shortage of financial resources eventually creates inequity of health care at large since only the rich are able to find their way around the limited public services. ESKD is no exception; inequity being even further augmented by the trade of organs, particularly in Egypt. This is attributed to high demand in the absence of a deceased donor program and in the presence of a pool of young, healthy, unemployed potential donors who have no access to any social security plans. Many attempts to face the challenge of accommodating ESKD management in NA are underway, including relevant legislations, promoting deceased donor transplants, chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevention and early detection programs, and generating nontraditionally directed financial resources.