Objective: Diabetic nephropathy is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes. Recent studies indicate that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) incidence has decreased or that the onset of ESRD has been postponed; therefore, we wanted to analyze the incidence and time trends of ESRD in Sweden.
Research design and methods: In this study, patients with duration of type 1 diabetes >14 years and age at onset of diabetes 0-34 years were included. Three national diabetes registers were used: the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Register, the Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden, and the National Diabetes Register. The Swedish Renal Registry, a national register on renal replacement therapy, was used to identify patients who developed ESRD.
Results: We found that the cumulative incidence of ESRD in Sweden was low after up to 38 years of diabetes duration (5.6%). The incidence of ESRD was lower in patients with type 1 diabetes onset in 1991-2001 compared with onset in 1977-1984 and 1985-1990, independent of diabetes duration.
Conclusions: The risk of developing ESRD in Sweden in this population is still low and also seems to decrease with time.
© 2018 by the American Diabetes Association.