Epidemiological profile of terminal chronic renal failure in the region of Sfax

Terminal chronic renal failure is a truly global public health problem. In 2011, the cost of management of patients on dialysis has surpassed 90 million dinars (37.000 euro) in Tunisia, nearly 5% of the overall health spending. A better knowledge of the epidemiological profile of terminal chronic renal failure contributes to the implementation and evaluation of health strategies aimed to improve prevention and disease management. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological profile of incident cases in the Sfax Governorate over the period of 10 years. We conducted a descriptive retrospective study over the period from January 2003 to December 2012. The incident cases of terminal chronic renal failure in the Sfax Governorate were included in the study. The diagnosis of terminal chronic renal failure was made in 1708 cases: 957 men and 751 women (sex-ratio = 1.27). The average age was 58.4 years [10-100 years]. The study of the evolution of the average age during the study period showed a tendency to increase with positive correlation coefficient (0.749) and p = 0.006. The main causal nephropathy was diabetic nephropathy (21.5%), with a significant increase in its frequency from one year to the other (positive correlation coefficient (0.770) with p = 0.009). Hemodialysis was the dialysis technique of choice, performed in 96% of patients. A national registry is indispensable in order to better understand the epidemiological profile of terminal chronic renal failure in Tunisia and to improve its management.