Introduction: Chronic kidney disease has presented frequencies that exceed the installed capacity of dialysis services, and data on prevalence are uncertain worldwide.
Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiological profile of patients assisted in renal replacement therapy and details on the assistance provided.
Methods: Population-based cross-sectional study with information obtained from the Unified Health System database. The research location was the state of Paraíba, and the observation period was from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2013, n = 64,676 documents, and the variables observed were: gender; age group, race, or color; place of residence; place where the therapy was performed; vascular access; modality if hemodialysisor peritoneal dialysis; registration on the kidney transplantation list; infection by hepatitis B, C, and HIV viruses; and costs.
Results: A higher prevalence of request for highly complex procedure was observed in males (56.8%) and white (39%). The cities with the highest prevalence of dialysis patients were João Pessoa, Campina Grande, Santa Rita, Sousa, Bayeux, and Patos. Most of the sample referred to patients undergoing hemodialysis as a renal replacement therapy modality, with 42.2% not having definitive arteriovenous fistula access. The renal replacement therapy expenses observed were increasing, and in 2009, they accounted for 2.89% of health spending, reaching 3.32% of state health spending in 2013.
Conclusion: Using secondary data from DATASUS to understand the population with chronic kidney disease and the assistance offered is possible.