Heterogeneity in the incidence of kidney replacement therapy across Europe: a benchmarking tool to improve clinical practice

Despite the availability of kidney replacement therapy (KRT), chronic kidney disease (CKD) is among the fastest increasing global causes of premature death. Longer life expectancy and population aging are contributing to an increase in the prevalence of CKD, the need for KRT and the median age at incident KRT, which increased from 67.1 to 68.4 years between 2012 and 2021 in territories reporting data to both iterations of the European Renal Association (ERA) Registry. The heterogeneity in incident KRT across Europe was emphasized for the 2012 report and remains topical in the 2021 ERA Registry Annual Report, which again showed large differences between territories. An in-depth analysis of these differences can be used as a benchmarking tool to identify best practices that improve kidney care.