The number of HIV-infected patients undergoing chronic dialysis therapy in Japan–surveillance based on data obtained from AIDS core hospitals–

Abstract

The number of HIV-infected patients undergoing chronic dialysis therapy in Japan has not been elucidated. We studied the number of such patients based on nationwide data about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals who regularly visited acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) core hospitals. Among the 20,448 HIV patients registered in 2014, 92 (0.45%) were chronic dialysis patients: 10 in the Hokkaido and Tohoku area, 55 (34) in the Kanto (Tokyo) area, 13 (7) in the Chubu (Nagoya) area, 9 (5) in the Kinki (Osaka) area, 3 in the Chugoku and Shikoku area, and 2 in the Kyusyu and Okinawa area. (Proofreader’s note: These numbers add up to 91 rather than 92. Please correct as necessary.) Of the 21,184 HIV patients registered in 2015, 103 (0.49%) were chronic dialysis patients: 7 in the Hokkaido and Tohoku area, 59 (38) in the Kanto (Tokyo) area, 23 (12) in the Chubu (Nagoya) area, 10 (6) in the Kinki (Osaka) area, 2 in the Chugoku and Shikoku area, and 2 in the Kyusyu and Okinawa area. The number of hemophiliacs who had contracted HIV from HIV-tainted blood products was 593 (2.9%) in 2014 and 604 (2.9%) in 2015, respectively. Among them, 10 (1.7%) and 15 (2.5%) of the patients registered in 2014 and 2015, respectively, were receiving chronic dialysis therapy. The proportion of dialysis patients was 4-fold higher in the hemophiliac HIV group (approx. 2%) than in the overall HIV population (approx. 0.5%). Two stable hemophilia patients were treated without any problems at ordinary outpatient dialysis clinics in cooperation with AIDS core hospitals. The outlines of these cases are reported in this article. In conclusion, this study describes the most recent and credible data regarding the number of HIV-infected individuals receiving chronic dialysis in Japan.