Newly released national data shows Manitoba leads the country in rates of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

The December 2020 Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Canadian Organ Replacement Register (CORR) report outlines the state of organ transplants and kidney failure in Canada. (View the full report)

The report offers an opportunity to compare Manitoba’s situation to other provinces by looking at existing patient populations, use of types of dialysis and numbers of transplants done.

In 2019, Manitoba had the highest rates of people starting renal replacement therapy in Canada with a rate per million population (RPMP) of 269.4 compared to the overall Canadian rate of 208.1.

Manitoba also had the highest rates of ESKD overall, when looking at the whole dialysis and transplant patient population, with a RPMP of 1,793.4 which is 28 per cent higher than the Canadian rate of 1,399.6.

The CORR report indicates the number of Canadians using dialysis has nearly doubled in 20 years since 2000.

Between 2010 and 2019, the number of Canadians on dialysis grew by 25.7 percent. During that same period, the number of people on dialysis in Manitoba grew by 45 per cent.

In 2019 there were 1,746 Manitobans requiring chronic dialysis and over 710 with a kidney transplant. Today more than 1,820 Manitobans complete about 348,000 dialysis treatments annually at home and in dialysis units.

Leading Cause

The 2020 CORR report shows diabetes to be the leading cause of ESKD in Canada. Nationally, about 30 per cent of all patients’ ESKD was caused by diabetes while in Manitoba that rate is 42 per cent.

About 43 per cent of Manitoba patients living with ESKD are between the ages of 45 and 64. An additional 39 per cent of Manitoba patients are ages 65 and over.

Late Referrals

Manitoba had a late referral rate of 25 per cent, similar to other provinces. Late referrals are patients who start dialysis within 90 days of first seeing a kidney doctor.

Home Dialysis

Looking at the use of all renal replacement therapies (including transplant), Manitoba led the country in the use of home hemodialysis at a rate of 4.5 per cent, while the Canadian average is 3 per cent.

About 11.3 per cent of all Manitoba patients use peritoneal dialysis which is slightly above the national average of 11 per cent.

Organ Donation

In 2019, 48 adults in Manitoba had kidney transplants.  Of those 48, 23 patients received a deceased donor kidney and 25 received a living donor kidney.

Data from 2017 to 2019 indicates that Manitoba patients receiving a deceased donor kidney transplant spent a median time of 2,332 days – over six years – on dialysis before getting their transplant.

Nationally, the median amount of time adults spent on dialysis before receiving a deceased-donor kidney was 1,335 days – about three-and-a-half years. Adults receiving a living kidney donation spent a median time of 610 days using dialysis before the transplant. In 2019, 26 pediatric patients received kidney transplants.

What can we do?

The earlier we find a person’s kidney disease the more opportunities there are to keep those kidneys as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Click the links below for more resources on kidney disease in Manitoba:

The 2020 report features data from 2010 to 2019 but excludes Quebec data due to under reporting between 2012 and 2019. Canadian Organ Replacement Register, 2020, Canadian Institute for Health Information.