Peritoneal dialysis in Mexico

Abstract

While Mexico has the thirteenth largest economy, a large portion of the population is impoverished. About 90% of the population is Mestizo, the result of the admixture of Mexican Indians and Spaniards, with the Indigenous peoples concentrated in the southeastern region. Treatment for end-stage renal disease (estimated 268 patients per million population) is largely determined by the limited healthcare system and the individual's access to resources such as private insurance ( approximately 15%) and governmental sources ( approximately 85%). With only 5% of the gross national product spent on healthcare and most treatment providers being public health institutions that are often under severe economic restrictions, it is not surprising that many Mexican patients do not receive renal replacement therapy. Mexico uses proportionately more peritoneal dialysis than other countries; 1% of the patients are on automated peritoneal dialysis, 19% on hemodialysis and 80% on CAPD. Malnutrition and diabetes, important risk factors for poor outcome, are prevalent among the patients in CAPD programs.