Introduction: National chronic dialysis data are fundamental for treatment planning.
Objective: To report data of the annual survey of the Brazilian Society of Nephrology about chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis in July 2012.
Methods: A survey based on data of dialysis units from the whole country. The data collection was performed by using a questionnaire filled out on-line by the dialysis units in Brazil.
Results: 255 (31.9%) of the dialysis units in the country answered the questionnaire. In July 2012, the total estimated number of patients on dialysis in the country was 97,586. The estimated prevalence and incidence rates of chronic kidney disease on maintenance dialysis were 503 and 177 patients per million population, respectively. The estimated number of new patients starting dialysis in 2012 was 34,366. The annual gross mortality rate was 18.8%. For prevalent patients, 31.9% were aged 65 years or older, 91.6% were on hemodialysis and 8.4% on peritoneal dialysis, 30,447 (31.2%) were on a waiting list of renal transplant, 28.5% were diabetics, 36.6% had serum phosphorus > 5.5 mg/dl and 34.4% hemoglobin < 11 g/dl. A venous catheter was the vascular access for 14.5% of the hemodialysis patients.
Conclusion: The prevalence and incidence rates of chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis increased, while the mortality rate tended to decrease compared with 2011. The indicators of the quality of maintenance dialysis remained stable with a trend towards decrease in levels of anemia. The data highlight the importance of the census to guide chronic dialysis therapy.