Emerging ties between the ERA-EDTA and Latin American nephrology.

Abstract

The ERA–EDTA has launched an initiative to establish objective: to improve and increase transplant activity closer co-operation with Latin American nephrology. in Bolivia, where a transplant law was recently In effect, a little over a year ago, the Council of the approved, and to create a platform for interaction ERA–EDTA contacted the President of the Latin between specialists from Central and South America. American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension, The Congress programme included the most recent Dr Pablo Massari, with the objective of initiating advances in immunobiology, immunosuppression, tolcollaboration with this fraternal Society. Latin erance, and medical problems of different organ American nephrology has undergone major changes in transplants. the last years and the Latin American Society of Spanish presence at the Congress was of great imporNephrology and Hypertension (hereafter SLANH) tance and contributed to the collaboration between the maintains close ties with the Spanish and Portuguese Latin American Transplant Organization with the Societies of Nephrology, with whom it organizes Spanish National Transplant Organization (the ONT ). Iberoamerican Congresses of Nephrology, the third of For the first time this year, the Latin American which took place in Lisbon, in March 1997. Registry of Dialysis and Transplantation, has pubThe Latin American Society of Nephrology and lished a brief report in Nephrology Dialysis Hypertension was founded in 1970. Its primary goal is Transplantation [2]. The Latin American Registry was the unification of all nephrologists of Latin American created in 1991 by the SLANH and includes 21 Latin origin practising in or outside Latin America under American countries, with a total population of almost the umbrella of one scientific society [1]. In addition, 470 million inhabitants. it promotes excellence in nephrological training and The Latin American Registry, like the ERA–EDTA establishes courses of continuing medical education. Registry, is a multinational Registry and therefore After both the ERA–EDTA Council and the different from the other continental Registries. In fact, SLANH expressed interest in this collaboration, a the USRDS and the Japanese Registry cover very large 2-day Symposium on Acute Renal Failure was organpopulations (>265 million in the US and >125 million ized by the Bolivian Society of Nephrology in in Japan). These registries cover only one country, co-operation with the SLANH and the ERA–EDTA, which significantly simplifies the data collection proin Sucre, Bolivia. A number of European nephrologists cess. The Latin American Registry faces difficulties participated. The scientific programme included a genresulting from the differences between countries. For eral overview of topics, ranging from physiology and instance, differences in demography (some countries pathology to clinical aspects and treatment. Five dishave a high rate of aborigine population, others a low cussion panels with nephrologists from different Latin rate) and differences in the socio-economic conditions, American countries and representatives of the in the organization of health care systems and, very ERA–EDTA allowed participants to share and discuss importantly, differences in the accessibility of renal in detail the practical aspects of diagnosis and treatreplacement therapy. ment. This included the issue of infectious diseases The data presented in the report have been collected as one of the most frequent causes of acute renal using a patient questionnaire, except in Brazil and failure, in the local experience of South-American Chile. Here data were obtained through a centre quesnephrologists. tionnaire, the results concern exclusively dialysis This Symposium in Sucre was a satellite of the IX patients. A report regarding transplanted patients was Latin American Congress of Transplantation, held in previously published [3]. La Paz, Bolivia. This Congress is held every other It is of interest to comment on some of the results year. The Bolivian Society of Transplantation made a against the background of European data: major effort in organizing this event with a double The estimated prevalence of uremic patients is 131.1 patients per million population, with a wide variation Correspondence and offprint requests to: F. Carrera, Department of from one country to another. Puerto Rico has the Nephrology and Dialysis, Hospital SAMS, Ria Cidade de Gavela 1, 1800 Lisbon, Portugal. highest prevalence (610.1) which is very close to that