[Report by the Health Council on dialysis and kidney transplantation].

The Health Council of the Netherlands has summarised the developments regarding dialysis and renal transplantation over the period 1985-1990, and estimated the numbers of patients and transplantations for 1995. Currently 21% of the patients are treated with peritoneal dialysis. In 1991 53% of patients undergoing haemodialysis in a specialised centre were dialysed only twice weekly. The figure for the patients being dialysed thrice weekly may rise to 75% in 1995. The number of renal transplantations may rise from 28/million inhabitants in 1991 to 35/million in 1995, which is the figure in the surrounding countries. In that case, the prospective number of dialysis patients in 1995 is 3600; if there is no increase in the number of transplantations, it will be 3790. At this moment 1400 patients are waiting for transplantation; the mean waiting time is > 3 years.