Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis in South Africa -A Four-Year Experience

This study describes our experience with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) over a four year period, during which 88 patients were offered CAPD. It compares and contrasts the response to CAPD among four racial groups in Natal viz asiatics, blacks, coloureds and whites. Peritonitis -the major complication, occurred with an overall incidence of one episode every 4.41 patient months. CAPD remains a useful alternative therapy in developing countries where a high percentage of patients with chronic renal failure would be denied a chronic renal failure program because of lack of expertise in hemodialysis and/or renal transplantation, or limited financial resources. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was first described by Moncrief and Popovich (1) and, since its modification by Oreopoulos and his group (2), this technique has gained world wide usage. South Africa, like many developing countries has a high incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) but because of lack of resources and economical problems, few patients with ESRD can be treated by dialysis or renal transplantation. CAPD affords a relatively simple and inexpensive form of therapy for these patients. At the present time about 200 patients are on CAPD in South Africa. Natal, the smallest of four provinces in South Africa, has a population of about five million, the majority being blacks. The minority groups include whites, asiatics and coloureds. There is only one chronic dialysis centre in Natal; situated in Durban, it serves the entire province including parts of the Transkei. This paper describes a four-year experience with CAPD in this mixed population and discusses problems unique to this situation.