Bolivia hosts first AKF meeting between ISN and SLANH
La Paz, Bolivia was the location for the first meeting for a global initiative on Acute Kidney Failure (AKF) between ISN and Sociedad LatinoAmericana de Nefrologia y Hipertension (SLANH).
Representatives from several authorities took part in this meeting on October 2, 2013. These included SLANH President Juan Fernández, SLANH Committee Representative for AKF Emmanuel Burtman, ISN President Giuseppe Remuzzi, Director of the Instituto de Nefrología Bolivia Raúl Plata-Cornejo, Past President of the Bolivian Society of Nephrology and Hypertension Marlon Jaimes and President Elect of the Bolivian Society of Nephrology and Hypertension Herman Peinado.
Thanks to this meeting, an AKF epidemiological Registry will be presented on March 24, 2014. Following this all the strategies for the development of the global AKF initiative will be developed and the first AKF epidemiological findings will hopefully be presented in 2015. The preliminary epidemiological AKF/SLANH registry data will be presented in August 2014.
Bolivia and Brazil were selected to develop the pilot AKF program in Latin America. Jesus Muñoz (Colombia) and Luis Fernando Arroyo (Guatemala) will form part of the program based on their expertise in peritoneal dialysis.
In Latin America, there are big differences in health organization and health resources. The prevalence of chronic renal replacement therapy is more than 800 pmp in countries like Puerto Rico, Chile and Uruguay. But in most countries, the prevalence is lower than 400 pmp and there are no epidemiological reasons to explain these differences. The disparity is also apparent between different regions of the biggest and richest countries of Latin America (Brazil, Mexico and Argentina).
The SLANH AKF committee has been working since 2000 to try and improve the knowledge of AKF epidemiology in Latin America. Studies from this committee show that several disorders that lead to AKF in Latin America are potentially preventable or avoidable. Besides, in many places of the region, limited resources for diagnosis, late or no referral to nephrology services, or lack of access to renal replacement therapy are key challenges. Renal replacement therapy for AKF is usually only obtainable in large cities.
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