Renal Replacement Therapy in Eritrea

Historically, communicable diseases in addition to maternal, perinatal, and malnutrition have accounted for the greatest burden of morbidity and mortality in many developing countries. This spectrum however has recently begun to shift toward chronic noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes and hypertension. Although great strides have been made in the diagnosis and care of chronic kidney disease in the industrialized world, the availability of renal replacement therapy and kidney transplantation is unequivocally lower in Africa than in any other region of the world. Here, we provide a critical assessment of the growing prevalence of kidney disease and current treatments in Eritrea, a young, developing country located in Northeast Africa.