The drumbeat of renal failure: symbiosis of prevention and renal replacement therapy.

The global population of patients with end-stage renal disease is rising rapidly, especially in developing countries. The possibility and economic burden of renal replacement therapy will be greatly challenged in the next decade as the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension rises. The establishment of effective prevention and intervention measures creates a means by which the increasing burden of renal replacement therapy can be reduced. Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel